New CDC report says Americans don't move enough

New CDC report says Americans don't move enough. It has been revealed that less than two in every ten American gets the required amount of physical exercise needed to keep him healthy. That is an awful number, considering the number of overweight citizens and cholesterol related patients America has.

CDC discovered this painful reality in a check up of the nation's health.

The problem is regionally distributed. While some areas have almost better percentage of physically active adults, some have very lousy numbers to show. CDC says that it is because of social norms of an area.

For example, the U.S. South and Appalachia, almost 30 % do not get any physical exercise. In Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee, inactivity rates are at least 29.2 percent in more than 70 percent of counties. The result is obvious when health charts are mapped to these findings. These states also have the highest levels of health problems, such as diabetes and obesity.

Dr. Antronette Yancey, a professor at UCLA who serves on a board that supports first lady Michelle Osama’s ‘Let's Move’ campaign, said, “That's probably even an underestimate of the real problem.” He further explains that people tend to overestimate their actual activity.

This report also brought natives of the Northeast, the West Coast, Colorado and Minnesota some news to cheer. They have been found to be the most active, hence the healthiest.

Yancey said, “There's evidence to suggest that if people see people outside walking, then that makes them more likely to walk. If people feel that physical activity is the norm in their peer group, then they're more likely to be physically active.”

She explained the social norm funda. She also added that there is more support for more activity in transit-rich cities such as New York and Chicago. Here people are encouraged to climb stairs to a subway platform or walk to the bus stop.