Below is chart of obesity by State from 2003 to 2015 in the United States. Yellow means fat. What should be startling is that the dark black is still 20%. Colorado and DC are the more fit states while the Southeast is scary.
I’ve had this post in my back pocket for a bit but this chart was the icing on the cake. I can’t quantify it, but when I look around the 1 mile radius that I live in, I’d guess 85% of the people are overweight. Being in shape now a days is a rarity. I can’t tell if people take health less seriously or it’s straight up laziness. A few factors to consider:
- Income level – People with less money eat unhealthy foods which in turn makes them fatter, quicker. Think fast food.
- America – The portion sizes in the US are huge. After scrolling through the comments, serving sizes in America are 2x as big as Europe.
- Exercise – Or lack there of. This can also go hand in hand with a general apathetic attitude towards staying fit.
- Personally – I don’t eat healthy but I also exercise almost daily. If you are going to drink 20 beers a week and never eat a vegetable, you have to balance that out with some sort of exercise. It’s not that hard to do so and keeps you feeling better about yourself.
Genetics is worth noting. In the ancient days the bad genetics would’ve just died off, but with advancing healthcare we keep “bad” genetics around longer and they procreate at the same rate as others now.
I don’t like the genetics excuse because some large percentage of personal health is entirely up to the person, so you have to start there, but there are valid genetic advantages / disadvantages that tips the scale if you will.