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Where Americans Get Enough Exercise

ALiberalModerate

ALiberalModerate

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The new year is a time when many of us vow to head back to the gym. Moderate exercise not only helps us slim down and look better, it's also associated with all sorts of good health outcomes, from higher energy and productivity, better sleep and sex, and even greater longevity. In many cases, exercise may treat diseases as effectively as drugs, as [/FONT][/COLOR]one BMJ study recently showed.Everyone knows it, but not everybody does it. Just a month after making those New Year's resolutions, 36 percent will already have given up, according to University of Scranton psychologist John Norcross.
And overall, American adults aren't nearly as fit as they should be, according to a report on aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [see p. 326 of the PDF]. Drawing on data from the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, a nationwide telephone survey with more than 450,000 responses, the report looked at who met the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines: two weekly sessions of muscle strengthening, and 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity).
Just 51.6 percent of U.S. adults met the aerobic activity standard and less than a third (29.3 percent) met the muscle-strengthening standard. Only roughly one in five Americans (20.6 percent) met both standards. (And, since the data is self-reported, there's a good chance these numbers might be inflated).
The overall numbers are concerning. And, they vary considerably by state.
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Read more here: Where Americans Get Enough Exercise - Richard Florida - The Atlantic Cities

Here is a map:

aerobic_muscleweb.jpg


For the most part, more liberal states seem to have citizens that exercise more, while more conservative states seem to have citizens that exercise less (Arizona being the exception). I think that is related more to culture than anything else though.
 
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brothern said:
It's almost the exact opposite of this:

View attachment 67159694
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3 correlations I am seeing. The first is the more socially conservative an area is, the higher the obesity rates. The second is, the more affluent an urban area is, the lower the obesity rates. Finally, the higher the altitude of an area, the lower the obesity rates.
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
3 correlations I am seeing. The first is the more socially conservative an area is, the higher the obesity rates.
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I know Wisconsin and Illinois, because that's where I lived, and I see exceptions (or counters) to that observation.

Illinois: Cook (left) and Iroquois/Ford (right) follow the trend. Logan (left) and Adams/Clay/Wayne/Edwards (right) buck it.
Wisconsin: Dane (left) and Jefferson (right) follow the trend. But then the most conservative counties Waukeshau/Washington/Ozaukee and then Milwaukee buck it.

But because I know Wisconsin better, I will suggest the following (because I don't want to do a full regression fit on these).

% with bachelors or higher
Dane (left) 40.6% - 2nd thinnest category
Ozaukee (right) 38.06% - 2nd thinnest category
Waukesha (right) 34.0% - 2nd thinnest category
...
Milwaukee (left) - 23.63% - fattest category
Jefferson (right) - 17.37% - fattest category

http://www.doa.state.wi.us/docs_view2.asp?docid=405
 
The biggest thing that I am seeing (as well as what others are mentioning) is that people that live in farmlands are more obese than those that don't. Cheaper and more readily available food = more fat people. Go figure.
 
hjl1991 said:
The biggest thing that I am seeing (as well as what others are mentioning) is that people that live in farmlands are more obese than those that don't. Cheaper and more readily available food = more fat people. Go figure.
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How many farmers have you seen out on a run? I grew up in rural Arkansas out in the mountains, you just don't see that many people out there running / exercising. However, that said, I think its a southern thing because when you go up to Minnesota or our to Colorado, you see a lot of people in rural areas out running and riding road bikes. There are some strong ultra-runners down in Arkansas as well, but they live in and around the population centers for the most part.
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
How many farmers have you seen out on a run? I grew up in rural Arkansas out in the mountains, you just don't see that many people out there running / exercising. However, that said, I think its a southern thing because when you go up to Minnesota or our to Colorado, you see a lot of people in rural areas out running and riding road bikes. There are some strong ultra-runners down in Arkansas as well, but they live in and around the population centers for the most part.
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You could almost say that regular exercise is a luxury. I know that before I worked on the railroad I had plenty of time to exercise. Throw in a 60 hour a week job (and farmers work more than that), a wife and kid, and you just plain can't afford the time to go for a regular run or bike ride, let alone pay for a gym membership.
 
hjl1991 said:
You could almost say that regular exercise is a luxury. I know that before I worked on the railroad I had plenty of time to exercise. Throw in a 60 hour a week job (and farmers work more than that), a wife and kid, and you just plain can't afford the time to go for a regular run or bike ride, let alone pay for a gym membership.
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I agree that in some ways it is a luxury. However, anyone can make time for it. I work a lot of hours at times, and have a wife and 3 kids. I get up well before daylight and get runs in when I won't have time to do so otherwise, run or strength train over lunch at work, and bike to work unless its bitterly cold. Granted, I am fanatical about it, but I think anyone can find an average of 30 minutes a day for cardio or strength training. I think the differences in regions in regards to exercise and obesity is cultural more than anything else. If you friends run and excise regularly, you probably will as well. However, if your peers don't you are not as likely to either.
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
For the most part, more liberal states seem to have citizens that exercise more, while more conservative states seem to have citizens that exercise less (Arizona being the exception). I think that is related more to culture than anything else though.
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What I see are regional matters:

Mountainous areas = higher elevation (alters how the body functions), encourages hiking, sight seeing, and skiing for many people. Cold weather encourages bundling, and for many, staving off depression during the winter requires them to be active. Staying warm burns more calories as does any activity that forces you to leave the house just to go to the store, etc (shoveling snow - or simply living in a populated area and making your way around on foot).

Coastal regions = swimming, boating, beach going activities. More pleasant weather year round encourages outdoor activities.

Southern states = heat, which encourages stagnant indoor activities. Very little natural activities to engage in. If you are lucky enough to live along one of the few, small mountain ranges then maybe you have options for hiking. For most of us - the South is a vast area of swamp and plains which = bad weather (lots of staying in doors).

The only thing that's cultural is food.

South is in love with anything cooked in oil or served with mayonnaise. Most fruits and veggies need to be imported to the Dixie and Regional South. Consumption of meat is higher as well. Sitting for 12 hours in a tree to shoot a deer doesn't count as eating healthier.

Coastal areas = higher consumption of sea food (fish, shellfish, oysters, lobsters).

Mountainous regions = a more varied diet, but most areas that are fair weathered have an abundance of fruits and veggies (like California) which makes them most affordable.
 
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Poor, fat and stupid usually go together. As usual, the south leads the way.
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
I agree that in some ways it is a luxury. However, anyone can make time for it. I work a lot of hours at times, and have a wife and 3 kids. I get up well before daylight and get runs in when I won't have time to do so otherwise, run or strength train over lunch at work, and bike to work unless its bitterly cold. Granted, I am fanatical about it, but I think anyone can find an average of 30 minutes a day for cardio or strength training. I think the differences in regions in regards to exercise and obesity is cultural more than anything else. If you friends run and excise regularly, you probably will as well. However, if your peers don't you are not as likely to either.
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Just no. It sounds nice, and I said the same things for years, but imagine my situation. I get called in to work for 0400. I have to be up at 0230 to be at work on time. Do you think I can wake up in the dead of night and just go running? Sure, if I get up at 0145 or earlier. That means I need to go to bed at 1745 to get to work on time the next day. I get home around 1630. Once I get showered and eat, it's already well past 1700. So, in order for me to accommodate exercise, I am left with spending less than an hour with my family. That's how divorces happen. I need to spend at least a couple hours a day with my wife and kid.

Ok, well I still have two days off to get exercise, right? Yeah, two days that I don't get to pick. It could be this Wednesday and Friday, or maybe Saturday. Hell, I seriously have no idea if I work tomorrow as of right now. I definitely know I won't work before 1600. But, now I have to also help my wife clean the house, make meals for lunch, go shopping, see my parents and her parents, etc. etc. etc. My social responsibilities just don't allocate time to get up and work out.
 
hjl1991 said:
Just no. It sounds nice, and I said the same things for years, but imagine my situation. I get called in to work for 0400. I have to be up at 0230 to be at work on time. Do you think I can wake up in the dead of night and just go running? Sure, if I get up at 0145 or earlier. That means I need to go to bed at 1745 to get to work on time the next day. I get home around 1630. Once I get showered and eat, it's already well past 1700. So, in order for me to accommodate exercise, I am left with spending less than an hour with my family. That's how divorces happen. I need to spend at least a couple hours a day with my wife and kid.

Ok, well I still have two days off to get exercise, right? Yeah, two days that I don't get to pick. It could be this Wednesday and Friday, or maybe Saturday. Hell, I seriously have no idea if I work tomorrow as of right now. I definitely know I won't work before 1600. But, now I have to also help my wife clean the house, make meals for lunch, go shopping, see my parents and her parents, etc. etc. etc. My social responsibilities just don't allocate time to get up and work out.
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I understand it can be really hard, especially for someone with a job with hours like yours. However, fitness is every bit as important of an investment we make in ourselves and future as saving for retirement. In fact, if you are fit and healthy when you retire, you will need far less money to retire with. Even if a person can only exercise a couple of days a week, thats still far better than nothing.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
What I see are regional matters:

Southern states = heat, which encourages stagnant indoor activities. Very little natural activities to engage in. If you are lucky enough to live along one of the few, small mountain ranges then maybe you have options for hiking. For most of us - the South is a vast area of swamp and plains which = bad weather (lots of staying in doors).
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I got to disagree with this one. I am an avid runner and cyclist. I live in the Kansas City area so we get everything from hot and humid to bitter cold here. I also grew up in central Arkansas which is one of the hottest and most humid places in the country during the summer. I can tell you that on balance, it is easier to exercise in hot and humid weather than it is in the bitter cold. Even on a hot day I can get out early in the morning and get a long run or ride in before its too overly oppressive. However, if its in the single digits out or colder, I still get out and run, but its hard. Moreover, in the south you get 3 to 4 months of really hot weather and the rest of the year is absolutely great for outdoor exercise. In the Midwest you get hot summers, cold winters, lots of wind in spring, and basically its only fall that its consistently pleasant to exercise in. I think the reason why southerners do not exercise more is more cultural than anything else. They have the perfect climate for it.

Anyway you slice it, the weather in the south makes it easier to stay fit than the weather in places like Minnesota or Wisconsin. I think the differences are purely cultural as to why they exercise so much more up there.
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
I understand it can be really hard, especially for someone with a job with hours like yours. However, fitness is every bit as important of an investment we make in ourselves and future as saving for retirement. In fact, if you are fit and healthy when you retire, you will need far less money to retire with. Even if a person can only exercise a couple of days a week, thats still far better than nothing.
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I whole heartedly agree. I definitely make fitness a priority in spite of not actually being able to exercise. I don't count calories, but do eat many fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and pastas, etc. I drink a cup of coffee and a glass of wine every day, and my breakfast always consists of a smoothie made with spinach and kale made with my Vitamix. When I'm at work, I do a lot of walking and put on/take off a lot of handbrakes. I can say that my health is good, but it won't ever be as good as it was when I made it to states in wrestling again.

Last summer was the last time I'll be able to win a 5k in at least the next decade or two. And beach muscles/six pack abs? My arms are noodles compared to my figure of the past.
 
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