He Ain’t Heavy, He’s An American

Use now and then a little Exercise a quarter of an Hour before Meals, as to swing a Weight, or swing your Arms about with a small Weight in each Hand; to leap, or the like, for that stirs the Muscles of the Breast. - Benjamin Franklin


Americans are considered to be overweight and unhealthy. Billions of dollars are spent annually on fitness equipment, diet plans, supplements, smoking cessation programs and medical care. However, spending practices do not match desired results. Americans are drawn to the easy fix. They want the “only ten minutes a week” and you can lose ten pounds, or “these pills will help you lose weight without changing your diet.” Wear a patch, chew this gum or get hypnotized and you can stop smoking. Instead of taking the tough road to self improvement, we look for the easy way out. Not only do American’s desire painless solutions to being fit they also don’t want to accept the blame for their dilemmas. Let’s shift the blame to corporate America. After all, we are told they sell us the wrong food, fill menus with fatty foods, entice us to smoke; then the insurance companies don’t pay us to be cured. This type of attitude will not solve our problems. Until we are willing to face up to our failings and take the responsibility for both what we put in our bodies and our level of physical activity, we are destined to poor health. Companies do produce the products that can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. However, they also produce the products that can make us the healthiest country on Earth. No one forces us to choose the former.

In 1994, a law was passed requiring nutritional labeling on packaged foods. More than 15 years later, the United States still has a problem with overweight individuals. The problem is not with the lack of information about the product; the problem is that Americans continue to eat what and how much they want.

Our Government, not intentionally, rewards those who lead a less than healthy lifestyle by providing them with the same health care benefits as those who work hard to stay healthy. This doesn’t make sense. If you lead a self-indulgent lifestyle, you should not receive the same benefits as others. Healthy behavior should be rewarded. The recent Health Care Legislation does not require anyone to lead a healthy lifestyle to receive the benefits. Someone can eat poorly, smoke, drink, and lead a generally unhealthy lifestyle and still receive health care benefits. They won’t need to worry about pre-existing conditions and they might have other taxpayers fund their medical care. How can this lead to a healthier America?

This is an excerpt from "Essays From a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle Class American"
Available on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Fed-Up-Middle-Class-American/dp/1453640460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289314461&sr=1-1