be part of the solution!     watch this movie a.s.a.p.    

​ fork over knives 

In the last year or so,
the three of us have down-sized our meat intake.  
yes, it has been a big change, especially coming from the Deep South , but we did it gradually.

during that time, we've implemented meatless Mondays...
got a few frowns at first.
now, they are on board and I've got to say that having a slab of meat on my plate is not appealing to me. 

​we agree that totally eliminating dairy and meat from our diet is probably not going to happen.  
​However, tapering back has been relatively easy and painless.

taking small steps toward health... we can do it!

​check my website for more inspiration.
Pennie 

PHIT America uses Worldometers as our resource for
 "The Cost of Inactivity In the USA is Rising". 
Here is how Worldometers calculates this cost:

Financial Cost of Physical Inactivity 

Reduction in the occurrence
of cardiovascular diseases 
(in particular, but not limited to,
coronary artery disease), stroke, and type 2 diabetes achieved in those who undertake physical activity 
(defines as a minimum of 2.5 hours
of brisk walking per week,
equivalent to 30 minutes per day for 5 days)
is estimated at approximately 30%
​
Costs of cardiovascular diseases and stroke: 
$320.1 billion per year
​
Costs of type 2 diabetes:
over $300 billion per year  ​

Medical expenditure:
over $3 trillion 

More than 75% of medical care costs
is due to
chronic conditions.  ​

Physical inactivity contributes to
8% of deaths
from chronic conditions.

 If you have bones and muscles . . . keep reading!
 
If you have family with bones and muscles . . . keep reading!

If you want to keep all those bones and muscles—and everything else—working, but you think fitness is too expensive . . . keep reading!
 
Most of us can’t count on “good genes” to keep us going in top condition. But by making health a priority and adopting a preventive mindset, we can control our weight, reduce our risk of disease, strengthen our bones and muscles, improve mood and mental health. And, the healthier our bodies are, the more easily we recover from illnesses or accidents.
 
We have a window of opportunity to break the Cycle of Inactivity that’s weighing down our country: We need to get PHIT! The Personal Health Investment Today Act has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and will be on the Senate’s doorstep any day now. It’s designed to ease the financial burdens that prevent many of us from getting and staying active.  Take a look at this graphic created by the American Council on Exercise (ACE):  
 
https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/advocacy/2017/keyissues5/the-cycle-inactivity.jpg
 
We can see that a sedentary lifestyle begins in early childhood. In fact, according to ACE, the U.S. has the least active generation of children ever. A sedentary lifestyle leads to lifelong negative consequences. 
 
Active parents, ACE says, are six times more likely to have active kids. We need to get ourselves and our whole families moving! Nearly 38 percent of parents cite cost as a barrier to enrolling their children in school sports, dance or swimming lessons, martial arts classes, and more. 
 
With PHIT, Americans will be able to use tax-free dollars from Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAa) to pay for classes, sports equipment, and gym and health club memberships. Imagine having the money to afford structured physical activity—to care for ourselves before we get sick. Imagine a more fit society with less disease and lower healthcare costs—and more joyful lives wherever we look.
 
Please ask your senators to pass the PHIT Act now! And forward this letter to everyone you know who cares about keeping active and healthy—that should be EVERYBODY YOU KNOW!
 
Here’s a message you can copy and paste and email to your Senators. 
Use this link to find contact information for the U.S. Senate. You can sort the list by state. 
https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
 
 
Dear Senator ___________________:
 
My name is _________________. I live in city/state; my zip code is ___________. I want to be able to afford to keep my family active and healthy in order to lower my healthcare costs! Please vote to pass the PHIT ACT so I can use the money I save in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to pay for lessons, classes, equipment, gym memberships, and more that will help my family stay fit.
 
 
For more information:
http://www.phitamerica.org/Leglislation/PHIT_Act.htm
https://www.nata.org/sites/default/files/hr1267-phit-act-fact-sheet-house.pdf