FitSugar

Most Dangerous States for Driving This Summer

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:15:00 -0700

The national Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) at the University of Minnesota recently released a list of the states where Americans are more likely to die in a traffic crash on a rural road. To see where your state falls in the top 15 most dangerous states to drive, read more

1.) Maine
2.) North Dakota
3.) South Dakota
4.) Iowa
4.) Vermont
5.) Montana
6.) Wyoming
7.) South Carolina
8.) Mississippi
9.) Arkansas
10.) West Virginia
11.) Kansas
12.) Nebraska
13.) New Hampshire
13.) Kentucky
13.) Idaho
14.) Oklahoma
15.) Missouri
15.) Minnesota

...And no, I am not losing my mind. There are double numbers because some states tied.

So please be extra careful this summer if you're going to be taking a trip in the car and buckle-up too!

The Most Active States in America

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Are people in your state active?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, has put together a list of the most active states, as well as the least active states in the nation. Each state is ranked based on the percentage of people in each state meeting physical activity recommendations. Does your state make the top ten?

Alaska: 56.7%
Vermont: 55.9%
Wisconsin: 55.6%
Wyoming: 54.8%
Montana: 54.7%
New Hampshire: 54.4%
Oregon: 54.3%
Washington: 52.9%
Maine and Utah: 52.8%
California: 52.7%

Yay California - woot, woot!

To see the most sedentary states, just read more

The following ranks states by the percentage of people who are physically inactive, defined as those who report being physically active for less than 10 minutes per week.

Puerto Rico: 37.3%
Kentucky: 28.8%
Louisiana: 25.3%
Tennessee: 24.3%
West Virginia: 24%
U.S. Virgin Islands: 22.3%
Mississippi: 21.9%
Alabama: 20.1%
North Carolina: 19.5%
Georgia: 19%

To see the full list, visit the CDC website.

Healthiest State of the Nation Is...

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:30:00 -0800

Compared with last year, there has been a little shake up in the rankings this year of the healthiest state. Vermont edged out Minnesota, but the real take away message from the United Health Foundation annual survey is: health rankings for all states show a decline in health. That my friend is not good news at all.

The survey is based on a variety of health indicators as well as state policy regarding health. Here are some of the factors taken into consideration for the rankings: obesity rates, tobacco and alcohol use, high school graduation rates, as well as state laws and regulations promoting better health. The survey also measures access to health services and also environmental issues like pollution, infectious disease rates, and crime.

The top 5 states are:
1. Vermont (also voted best state for raising children)
2. Minnesota
3. Hawaii
4. New Hampshire
5. Connecticut

If your state is not in the top and you want to see where it ranked, just read more

6. Utah
7. Maine
8. North Dakota
9. Massachusetts
10. Nebraska
11. Rhode Island
12. Washington State
13. Wisconsin
14. Iowa
15. Idaho
16. Colorado
17. South Dakota
18. Montana
19. Wyoming
20. Oregon
21. New Jersey
22. Virginia
23. Kansas
24. Pennsylvania
25. California
26. New York
27. Illinois
28. Maryland
29. Ohio
30. Alaska
31. Michigan
32. Indiana
33. Arizona
34. Delaware
35. Missouri
36. North Carolina
37. Texas
38. New Mexico
39. Nevada
40. Georgia
41. Florida
42. South Carolina
43. Kentucky
44. West Virginia
45. Alabama
46. Tennessee
47. Oklahoma
48. Arkansas
49. Louisiana
50. Mississippi

I have to admit I was bummed to see California smack dab in the middle of the list. How do you feel about your state's ranking? Tell me all about it in the comments section below.

Top 10 Most Medicated States

FitSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Where you live affects many elements of your daily life, like how often you walk to your destination as opposed to drive. Based on a new study by Kaiser Family Foundation, which side of the Mason-Dixon line you live on could affect how medicated you are.

According to numbers compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation the top ten medicated states, based on the number of retail prescriptions filled per capita annually, were in the South. Many states were considerably higher than the national average of 11.1 prescriptions filled annually. Here are the top 10 medicated states.

Public health experts believe the high prescription drug usage is related to obesity rates, which are also higher in the South. Obesity is a risk factor in many chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

To see the least medicated states, read more.

To see how all 50 states and the District of Columbia fare, check out State Health Facts. Were you surprised where your state ranked? Tell me in the comments section below.

Source

Fattest State Revealed: Mississippi Again?

FitSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0700

The results of a 2007 government survey given by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are in and it's not looking good for Mississippi. It seems this state has had the highest obesity rate every year since 2004, and they're still in the lead now. Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Louisiana are not far from the top of that list though, with more than 30 percent of the adults living there fitting into the obese category. The South has a larger concentration of rural residents and black women, two groups of people who tend to have higher rates of obesity. The typical Southern diet that's high in fat and rich with fried foods may be partly to blame.

So which state is the leanest? To find out read more.

Ahh Colorado. I knew it. Only 19 percent of this state is considered obese. This state has a reputation of being active with its ski mountains, and biking and hiking trails, which encourages people to move a lot more.

This survey was conducted over the telephone and may not be as accurate, so the CDC hopes to conduct a new project where they actually go out and weigh people. I'd be curious to see if the results change.

Source

The Healthy State of the Nation

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 02:30:00 -0800

The United Health Foundation has an annual report that ranks the states based on a number of factors including access to care, incidence of preventable disease, smoking rates, child poverty rates and motor vehicle deaths.

The healthiest states are:

Minnesota
Vermont
New Hampshire
Hawaii
Connecticut

To find out what the most unhealthy states are, read more

The most unhealthy states are:

Louisiana
Mississippi
South Carolina
Tennessee
Arkansas

The report also listed states with the largest improvements and declines in overall health since last year...
Most improved: Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin and Kansas.
Most declined: New Mexico, Idaho and West Virginia.

Source

Which State is the Safest State to Raise a Child?

FitSugar — Tue, 01 May 2007 14:30:00 -0700

You know I love healthy competition, especially when it is states against each other competing for the number one spot. The most recent ~~competition~~ ranking to be released is the First-Ever Summer Child Safety Ranking Report from Safe Kids U.S.
The Top Ten Safest States:

Vermont
New Jersey
D.C.
New York
Delaware
Massachusetts
Colorado
Rhode Island
Pennsylvania
California

To see the ten least safe states, read more
42. North Dakota
43. New Mexico
44. Mississippi
45. Tennessee
46. Kentucky
47. Nebraska
48. West Virginia
49. South Dakota
50. Alaska
51. Wyoming

To read the full report, check out safekids.org

Did you know that an average of 17 children a day (or 2,143 children in total) died from May to August in 2004 due to preventable injuries? I surely didn't. The most common preventable deaths are drowning, biking, falling, motor vehicle passenger injuries and pedestrian injuries. So as parents, let's be proactive and get active with our kids -- Go outside and do stuff with them, heck you may even burn a few calories too!

Fit's tip: Put helmets on your kids if they ride anything with wheels.

Get Fit Challenge: Snack on Sweet Potato Fries

Fit Community — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:50 -0700

The tenth challenge for the Get Fit For 2010 giveaway is to share a healthy snack. FitSugar reader SnackGirl likes to munch on sweet potato fries.

The most eaten vegetable in the United States is the potato. Found in fast food venues from coast to coast the delicious French Fries are hard to avoid. BUT, it is possible to bake something that will satisfy the craving. Baked sweet potato fries have the crunchy outside, and the soft inside and they pack a nutritional wallop with 219% of your daily allowance of Vitamin A in one serving. And that is just ONE of the benefits of eating them. How do you make sweet potatoes taste amazing? Add a little sugar and there is a caramelization that takes place. Do you notice the word "caramel" here?

Anyone else like the taste of brown sugar and salt?

The key to this recipe is to hang around and flip the fries after 15 minutes, and not to crowd the pan. These are really EASY to make. If you don't have a decent vegetable peeler, you should get one. Having a working peeler makes you want to peel vegetables. Having a crappy peeler makes you want to order from Burger King.

After you make these, just pop them in your fridge. Eat them as a snack or add them to your salad. Mush them in your yogurt or eat them for breakfast After they are refrigerated, they aren't as crunchy but they still taste really good. Sweet potatoes are available all year, though their season is Fall and Winter. Choose potatoes that are hard to the touch, because the soft ones are rotten.

Check out the recipe when you read more.
Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
(serves 4)
aluminum foil for pan
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 F. Half the sweet potatoes lengthwise. Place on flat slide and slice 5-6 spears (thick and long strips) of sweet potato. Place them on the aluminum foil and toss with olive oil and sugar. Spread them in one layer. It is important that they have space around them and aren't piled up on each other. Bake for 15 minutes and turn with tongs or a spatula. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add salt and pepper. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold.

See snack-girl for great healthy snack ideas!

Share your fave snack in the Get Fit For 2010 community group. By participating, you'll also be entered into the drawing for our weekly giveaway of a $100 Nike gift card as well as our awesome grand prize.

Get the Bod: Toni Collette

FitSugar — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:30:07 -0800

At this year's Golden Globes, Toni Collette received a statue to match her dress for her work in the Showtime series United States of Tara. Although some people questioned her victory, I was stoked. I've loved Toni since seeing her way back when in Muriel's Wedding, a role that she gained 40 pounds for.

I'm not going to lie - when I first saw Toni at the Golden Globes, I was a bit concerned. Her collar bones looked really prominent, and I was worried that she might be too skinny. Not so! After looking at old pics of Toni, it seems that regardless of her weight, Toni's trapezius muscles have always looked tight. If you check out the rest of Toni's body, she's looking fit and healthy. I wonder if she knows that the simple action of relaxing her shoulders will help this - something I Iearned in Pilates.

To hear about Toni's diet and fitness regimen, read more.

Since my first experiences watching Toni were in Muriel's Wedding, I didn't realize then that she's one fit mama who normally keeps a pretty svelte frame. The star has always been big into exercising.

"It doesn't feel like punishment, but feels like it's good for me, and I actually enjoy it. So I've kind of made it more of a part of my everyday life and I eat really well. I work out, do cardio, like 45 minutes a day, and I have a trainer."

It's a good thing Toni loves exercising since Muriel's Wedding wasn't the only character she put on weight for. For her role opposite Cameron Diaz in the film In Her Shoes, Toni put on 24 pounds, which she then had to lose during filming. Given her love of Pilates, it wasn't too hard, and Toni admits that it's always been easy for her to lose weight. (Lucky gal!) Besides Pilates, she also loves Gyrotonic because it "holds me together and keeps me stronger."

When it comes to diet, the star keeps pretty silent except to say that she eats healthy. For times when she has needed to lose weight, Toni relies on a diet of no wheat, dairy, or white sugar and having protein shakes for dinner. Though not confirmed, it's rumored that the star follows a macrobiotic diet, which means she's sticking to all-natural whole foods. Talk about great discipline!

DrSugar Answers: Petroleum Products Safe Around the Eyes?

DrSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:30:12 -0800

DrSugar is in the house! This week she's answering a question about treating wrinkles.

Dear DrSugar,
I have noticed the fine lines around my eyes becoming not so fine. I know it is just basic aging, but I would like to slow the process down. My sister said to put petroleum jelly (she uses Aquaphor) around my eyes at night. I've never used an eye cream before and am not really a fan of petroleum jelly - it just doesn't seem like a good idea to put a petroleum product on my skin, especially by my eyes. Is it safe? Will my body absorb dangerous chemicals?
- Concerned About Chemicals

I’m going to admit that I had to do some reconnaissance in my local drugstore to research this question. This research involved reading the labels of both regular petroleum jelly and Aquaphor (a Eucerin product). I also did the inevitable Google search for "Aquaphor" and for "fine lines and wrinkles." As a woman in her early 30s, this question interested me a bit personally as, like the reader, I am definitely noticing some little lines and crevices on my face! To learn more about the aging process and if you should be treating it with Vaseline, keep on reading.