Compared to many other health systems around the world, America has high quality healthcare. Yet, we are one of the most, if not the most, obese countries in the world. Many people know that being obese is unhealthy by now, but to drive the point home a little further, read on for reasons why being active throughout your life is so important.

Did you know that not being active is the fourth leading risk for mortality around the world? Even with this statistic in mind, less than 5% of adults are active for more than 30 minutes each day, and seven out of 10 admit they don’t exercise regularly. In addition, a staggering 80% of adults no longer meet the requirements for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. But these scary statistics no longer seem to phase many Americans for some reason.

Every day, it seems we see a new story for someone who suffered a stroke or suffered a heart attack. Entire months are dedicated to the amazing cancer survivors around the world. But not everyone is lucky enough to come back from those conditions, and we have no way of knowing what is beyond now. We all have one life to live and yet many waste it by not improving ourselves. We give up our time way too easily in the clutches of unhealthy habits. Americans are literally shaving years off of their lives by not being active and preventing many of the health issues and diseases that come from being obese.

As a nation, it is time for us to be active again. Utilize the quality healthcare we have here and get help with the journey to be healthy. While it is true that many people only want others to lose weight for aesthetic reasons, the truth of the matter is, getting healthy is essential to live a long and fulfilling life.