Only 2.7 Of American Adults Live What Qualifies As A "Healthy Lifestyle"

(Source) – Only 2.7 percent of adults nationwide have all four basic healthy characteristics, a new study found. The report, completed by researchers at Oregon State University and other universities, examined if adults were successful in four areas that fit typical advice for a “healthy lifestyle”– moderate exercise, a good diet, not smoking and having a recommended body fat percentage. Fulfilling those characteristics reflects a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and other health problems, according to a news release from Oregon State. The study looked at 4,745 people from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Researchers used an accelerometer device to gauge movement with a target of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity each week. Blood samples confirmed if a person was a non-smoker and body fat was measured using x-ray technology. Diet was defined as being within the top 40 percent of people who consumed foods suggested by the United States Department of Agriculture. Out of the study group, 2.7 percent had all four characteristics, researchers found. About 16 percent had three, 37 percent had two, 34 percent had one and 11 percent had none.

I wanted to write this blog and say that a “healthy lifestyle” is for suckers, but in order to fall into that category you literally have to do the bare minimum in order to survive. It’s really not the best look that not even 3 out of 100 of us can achieve that. I expected it to be something where you need to drink eight gasses of water a day, fulfill your vegetable and fruit servings, exercise aggressively for six days a week, take vitamins, shoot wheat grass shots instead of tequila, take b12 shots, etc, etc. Nah, all you have to do is not drink rat poison with your bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and take the stairs every once in a while.

If you can see your penis and turn down hits of heroin from random homeless people then you’re basically healthy, and we still can’t hack that. I always knew that I sucked and was unhealthy, but I had hoped I was in the bottom 2.7%. It’s like when a teacher tells you that everyone did horribly on the final exam and you think, “Jeez, I knew I was the idiot but I’d hoped everyone else in class was a genius. I’m actually the dumbest of the dumb.” Fattest of the fat and dumbest of the dumb is no way to go through life, yet here we are. Need everyone to get in better shape, please, so I can lie and convince myself that I’m not fat, everyone else just lives an incredibly healthy lifestyle.