It's not that Minnesotans, or any American state, is in "good" shape, it's just that Minnesota ranks as being not as out of shape and in the higher percentile of mediocre.
Most Obese States
- Thread starter mkadl
- Start date
It's not that Minnesotans, or any American state, is in "good" shape, it's just that Minnesota ranks as being not as out of shape and in the higher percentile of mediocre.
Utah and Colorado have this incredible scenery right next door to their main population centers. I think that's a big part of their culture.
Ding, ding, ding.
People don't just become scions of fitness and personal wonderment when you hit the 43.3rd parallel. But Mayo Clinic/St Mary's is arguably the best medical facility on the planet, and (rightfully) weighs heavy on these kind of lists.
Colorado has long been a destination state. People who are into outdoor activities such as skiing, hiking, biking, running (i.e., already with a disposition towards being fit) often move there for that reason. And, yes, it doesn't hurt to have the great outdoors in your backyard, like Colorado and Utah. And good weather.
Anyone who tracks calories and watches their weight knows that diet is more important than exercise based on the simple math. You can work out for an hour and a half and burn 1200 calories and blow it all eating some slices of pizza and cheese bread in about 5 minutes. That said, I find exercising regularly makes me feel better, improves my mood, and helps motivate me to eat less and eat better food when I do eat. So there is some residual benefit beyond just the simple calorie math IMO.
If you're not poor...food deserts are real in cities as small as Sioux City. Gas station chips and soda are a lot more accessible and cheaper for many people than vegetables and milk.
I run and workout for hours so I can eat slices of pizza and cheese bread.
We designed our lives around gasoline. We could have put railways along every major highway and built our cities more pubic transit friendly. We like oil though.
My sister can’t figure out why her husband has cholesterol issues because they are “vegetarians.” Dude will eat a party size bag of Lay’s potato chips for a snack and everything else he eats is covered with cheese or chocolate. His beverages are coffee, water, and Bailey’s.
Yeah, that's a good point too. Active people seek Colorado and Utah because of their natural amenities. There's some definite self selection there.
Diet is way more important than exercise. I'm 6'1 220-230 depending on time of year, and I'm extremely active. I work out every day that I'm not in the field for planting or harvest. But I have a huge appetite and it's way, way harder for me to not eat than it is to make myself work out.
If I didn't work out the way I do, I'd probably be 300 lbs.
If I didn't work out the way I do, I'd probably be 300 lbs.
Skiing and snowboarding is about the worst possible activity I can think of for a fat guy to do. You aren’t going to last long out there carrying around a bunch of extra blubber. If you want to have a good time in the mountains you better have a baseline of fitness and that happens in the off-season.
Funnily enough, the biggest strugglers I see on the mountain are always in K-State gear.
Mayo has spurred competition within the state for decades and has resulted in some top notch medical facilities and hospital systems in the Twin Cities metro. Hell, got a referral to an orthopedic for my shoulder rotator cuff issue and next thing I am sitting down getting the diagnosis from one of the Vikings team doctors and I am just some random old guy. Next stop, the physical therapist that works with everyone from MLB pitchers to old worn out shoulder guys like me. Some of that was just luck (I felt I had drawn the A-Team for sure) but there's a lot of medical talent here.
I was working in Casper for a few months. Started jogging every day. Insane cardio training at high altitude.
There's also probably no way to actually burn 1200 calories that fast, so it's more like you workout for 1.5 hours and burn 400 calories, and then eat a single piece of pizza for the same amount of calories. I think the average person doesn't realize how quickly you can consume 2000 calories if you're not paying attention.
If you’re hitting even the most accessible backcountry you better be on it when it comes to cardio. I’ve gotten stuck pretty badly and digging out at 9k feet is about the most cardio intensive activity I can imagine.
I was at Kwik Trip (Star in Iowa) recently and a bag of carrots cost a little less than a bag of chips.
And water is less than soda.
But yes the access to general large quantities of healthy food even in mid-sized rural towns is pretty subpar. Even Fareway is pretty limited even though it has a produce section.
I'm enjoying seeing stuff like community gardens etc. popping up though. That's good for all sorts of reasons.
Friend sent her teenage daughter to Mayo. It was a fail. No one could diagnose her until a RNP is our small town suggested Lyme disease. And since it took so long to diagnose she still struggles with it.
On the other hand, the same RNP told my son his tonsils looked good when he had strep. His tonsils had been removed two years before.
I would think this is of small impact. If you are in that system, you'll get good care, but you're not helping these stats. We have a massive Mayo down here too but I fail to see how it really makes anyone healthier. Most folks don't listen to their doctors that well and TBH most doctors don't push food as the cure nearly hard enough. Prescribing pills is more lucrative and most Americans like the simple path.
