I was at the vets with my German Shepherd last week and thinking about how busy I had been and how the only exercise I got the whole week was on my daily 4 mile walk which keeps both of us sane. As a matter of fact, I consider daily walk on the C&O canal my morning commute, since I am mostly a telecommuter and I am happy that I am doing my part to save energy. Anyways, still at the vets, I picked up a magazine and read a statistic that really stopped me dead in tracks!
In 2006 Americans consumed an extra 938 million gallons of fuel per year compared with 1960 due to our excess weight. In other words, the obesity rates in this country are contributing to our environmental crisis as well as our healthcare crisis. Obesity rates are also not helping our personal bottom lines either ( in more ways than one), the extra dollars spent per year because of the weight gain adds up to 2.2 billion dollars!
Airplanes consume 350 million/year in extra gallons of fuel and spend an extra $275 million dollars/year due to weight gain since the early 1990's.
I am going to make darn sure I keep walking my dog every day! If I can save money at the gas tank, maybe I can afford to pay those vet bills.
Employers who implement wellness programs and support their employees with weight management and fitness programs so they can achieve a healthy weight should know they are also contributing to a healthier planet as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment