Success Stories - Fitness Together - Fort Myers

Success Stories - Fitness Together - Fort Myers

Too Fat To Fight?

Our country’s eating habits and subsequent world leading obesity rate plays a very serious part in our health care dilemma. Apparently this situation is affecting our country’s military defense capabilities.

An organization of dozens of retired Generals, Admirals and other senior military leaders recently released a report to the Department of Defense indicating that 75% of American women and men, aged 17 to 24 years of age, are unable to join the military because they failed to graduate from high school, have criminal records, or are physically unfit.

Unfortunately, the biggest reason for being unqualified for the military is being overweight or obese. The report “Too Fat To Fight” states that “Once again, America’s retired military leaders are alerting Congress to a threat to national security. The basic fact is that too many young American men and women are too fat to fight.”

The report states that 27% of Americans in this age group are too heavy to meet military requirements. Even worse, the Center for Disease Control has reported that 42 % of young adults in the 18 to 24 age group are either overweight or obese.

The target of this effort is getting our national government to focus more attention on what our schools provide as far as food and exercise programs. They are specifically asking Congress to give the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to require our schools to adopt the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) and guidelines for what foods should be sold and served in our schools.

This is a serious example of how our personal health problems in this country affect so much more than just ourselves. Our neglect of our own health can affect our friends and family and now apparently has an impact on our national defense capabilities as well.

We all wish that our governments could wave a magic wand and legislate changes across the country, but isn’t the responsibility with us? Don’t we have to be a role model for our family, our friends, ourselves? Isn’t it better that we “be” what is best for our families, our friends, and our country? And it’s not the end result that we need to model for others, it’s the effort and commitment to ourselves and others that shows up the most.

Be a patriot and be the best that you can be!

LouAnn Good
Fitness Together Fort Myers

Haitian Health

The country of Haiti, statistically, ranks near the bottom as far as health. Unfortunately, this is caused primarily by a dreadful lack of sanitary conditions, an absence of an effective healthcare system, a high rate of infectious diseases, a country which is an environmental disaster, a broken down food supply chain, etc. Well, the list goes on. While one can’t ignore these facts, it is odd to observe that, despite the facts, most people look healthy.

Few people are over weight. We saw very few smokers. A high proportion of people have beautiful teeth. Despite the unbelievable misery and widespread deprivation, the people of Haiti are a beautiful people! While driving on most city streets is like an urban version of “road warrior” and the street life seems like an "end of the world" movie set, there is a very open caring and affection for others. Haitians have a smile that seems to come from the bottom of their hearts.

Does the lack of the many things we take for granted, such as ready access to and availability of food, drinks, sweets, etc. add to one’s general health? Haitians typically rely on a diet of locally grown foods, rice, beans, and very limited meat protein. There are no fast food joints, no Starbucks (bummer), no donuts. Ice cream only seems to show up in pictures. Junk food is very expensive. People are forced to walk.

How many of the health problems in our country are caused by having “too much”? Does it take lack and hard times to make us re-evaluate what is best for us and our families? Does it take witnessing the suffering of others to make us truly appreciate the bounty of what we have here in our community?

Maybe, you need to be the judge.

LouAnn Good
Fitness Together Fort Myers