Are you putting your life at risk?

It’s sad that most Americans have sedentary habits and are not well-motivated to be physically active. It’s alarming that a developed country would have problems with eating right and exercising correctly.

College students are in the spot light for not exercising enough: 55 percent are not getting the recommended amount of cardio in.

According to Healthy Life Skills, almost 40 percent of American adults are not physically active, and only 30 percent get the recommended amount of physical activity.

The benefits of being physically active are endless– from a general feeling of well being to decreased depression and anxiety. Exercising can improve sleep and also increase oxygen and nutrients in the brain.

So I ask myself, if physical activity brings us so many benefits, why are we not exercising enough?

I have to blame the marketplace for two reasons. First, I blame it for not showing us that exercise is extremely important and for not motivating us enough.

It’s unbelievable that we have numerous commercials of diet pills, but we do not have enough advertisements for being active outside with your friends, or enjoying a hike with beautiful scenery.

Second, I blame the marketplace for focusing on the biggest budget, and caring less about our health and nutrition patterns. Who cares if you will get diabetes in a couple decades if the food industry is getting richer, right?

Food companies are changing their packages to look more appealing to kids, knowing the kids will go for the most colorful box. They are negligent about their products and the health issues that can happen in a couple years.

The burden is on us– the consumers.

It’s funny that we can sit down for five minutes, watch TV and be wowed by how many yummy meals we can delight ourselves in. In a couple minutes we are thinking about food and nothing else.

The cheese is melting, the steak is frying or the mash potatoes are extraordinary, so why not leave exercise for later if we can have a bite now? I would too.

By not exercising well, or eating right for that matter, Americans are putting their health at risk.

You can simply take the stairs instead of riding in the elevator. You can choose an apple instead of a bag of chips.

You can park far so you can have a little walk. You can split a meal with a friend or get a to-go box.

You can simply walk outside with your dog for a couple minutes.

There are so many small decisions we can make to have a better lifestyle. Don’t wait until you have health problems to decide to take care of your body.

Care about your health and nutrition, because the world won’t do it for you. Be active.

A version of this was published at The Vista