...I like Dell...but customer service isn't what it used to be.
Well, the much bragged about customer service at DELL is now heavy on the wallet. And don't bet lunch because you know it's going to get worse. ;)
(_$_) Mick
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Havens for the Heavy
Which Are America's Fattest Cities?
N E W Y O R K, Jan. 3 — The residents of Houston just won a dubious distinction that will hit them right at their waistlines.
For the second year in a row, the Texas town is "America's Fattest City," according to the fouth annual report in Men's Fitness magazine, set to hit newsstands on Jan. 8.
Among "fat cities," Houston ranks No. 1, followed by Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Dallas, according to results released this morning on Good Morning America.
Welcome to Fat City
The survey looks at 16 different categories, such as how well city residents fare in nutrition, exercise and sports participation, and to what extent they embrace poor health choices, such as smoking, drinking and excessive TV watching.
To figure out each city's fat content, researchers tallied the number of fast food joints per city, checked out the average length of commutes (the longer the ride, the higher the chance of excess fat), examined air and water quality and explored parks and recreational facilities.
Of course, the spotlighted cities aren't alone. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, 56.4 percent of American adults are overweight, and the number jumps to 65.5 percent for males only. While obesity statistics grow, Americans continue to pork out. What gives?
"No effort has been made to create a national push," for fitness, said Jerry Kindela, editor-in-chief of Men's Fitness. "This has to be changed. Only one state, Illinois, mandates physical education programs in high school. Treating obesity isn't just an individual act. It should be shared by towns and corporations."
Kindela offers some simple weight loss tips to get the fattest city dwellers started on a healthier lifestyle.
• If you cut out one soft drink a day, you will lose 10 pounds in one year.
• If you walk one block a day, you'll lose 10 pounds a year.
• Walk up steps instead of taking the elevator.
• Eat five servings of vegetables and fruits per day.
• Don't be seduced by low-fat foods — they're loaded with sugars.
Philly On a Diet
One city that has gone on a diet is Philadelphia, which was the fattest city in 1999, but has gone to third place last year and fourth place this year.
Gwen Foster, dubbed the city's health and fitness "czar" by the mayor, said that over the past 18 months, the city has set up a number of pilot programs that will be rolled out citywide. The programs focus not just on weight loss, but on taking control of your health.
Some people enrolled in the obesity program have lost 100 pounds in the past year and kept it off, while a diabetes program helped one man lose 83 pounds and get off insulin. An after-school program teaches health principles to young people, such as get an exercise buddy, drink more water, and load up on fruits and veggies, Foster said. On New Year's Eve, a group of residents did a run up the same steps that Sylvester Stallone climbed in the film Rocky.
'Make Exercise Cheap'
Medical experts say that America's rising obesity stems from a society that has grown increasingly automated, where fast food is cheap and easy.
But if you live in a "fat city," that doesn't mean your own destiny is high-density.
"I would say that the limitations are a lot less geographic and a lot more motivational," said Dr. Reed Humphrey, an associate professor of physical therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. "Fit people, and lots of them, exist in the fattest, least-fit cities. They simply find ways to exercise, and in this society there are many ways to achieve fitness."
In modern society, obesity is partially related to not having a lot of money, one doctor said.
"Part of it is that fatty food is cheap," said Paul Thompson, a cardiologist at Hartford Hospital, in Hartford, Conn. A couple of slices of pizza is cheaper and easier than what you'll find at the health food store.
Plus, for many of us, a natural exercise such as — walking to work — just isn't feasible.
"The key to weight loss is some exercise that is purposeful and required, such as walking to work," he said. "Houston (rated the nation's fattest city by Men's Fitness magazine) with its highway system makes it almost impossible to exercise."
Some experts have pointed out that while food has grown increasingly cheap, getting exercise can be costly.
"The whole concept of getting folks lean is to reverse the process," Thompson suggested. "Make exercise cheap and food more expensive."
Engineered For Obesity?
Dr. Barry Franklin of Beaumont Hospital in Detroit, and the editor-in-chief for the Amercian Journal of Medicine and Sports, said he is skeptical about the idea that Detroit is "fatter" than other Midwest cities such as Cleveland, Milwaukee or Pittsburgh.
"The real problem, in my opinion, is that the escalating levels of obesity parallel our technology and our automated society," Franklin said. "We've literally engineered physical activity out of our lives."
Americans are eating about the same as they always have while expending less energy at work, as desk jobs have replaced physical labor, he said. Teleconferencing and e-mail have made white collar jobs even more sedentary.
Another problem: physical activity has been reduced or eliminated in many schools, Franklin said. The top leisure activities are passive entertainment, such as watching TV or movies, or playing video games.
Excessive TV watching is one of the problems faced by Brent Darden, who was just appointed to run "Shape Up Texas," aimed at slimming down the Lone Star state's residents. Houston has topped the "Fattest Cities," list for two years, Dallas is 5 on the list, San Antonio is 7 and Fort Worth is 8.
Heavy food is a big problem in Texas, as is high TV viewership, Kindela said. The state loves sports, but that amounts to watching the Dallas Cowboys on TV, not tossing around a football themselves.
Darden says he plans to tap into the Texas competitive spirit, challenging the cities to compete with one another in the battle of the bulge. His suggestions will include points for each of the following good health tips:
• Eating 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day
• Getting 30 minutes of exercise a day
• Drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water a day
• Sleeping 8 hours a night
Here is the list of "fattest cities." To find out which cities are on the fittest list, go to www.mensfitness.com.
1. Houston, 2. Chicago, 3. Detroit, 4. Philadelphia, 5 Dallas, 6. Columbus, Ohio, 7. San Antonio, Texas, 8. Fort Worth, Texas, 9. St. Louis, Mo., 10. Indianapolis, 11. Tulsa, Okla., 12. Atlanta, 13. Cleveland, 14. El Paso, Texas, 15. Miami, 16. New York, 17. Kansas City, Mo., 18. Phoenix, 19. Baltimore, 20. New Orleans, 21. Charlotte, N.C., 22. Milwaukee, Wis., 23. Las Vegas, 24. Mesa, Ariz., 25. Wichita, Kan.
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