After a very long period of not working out and slowly feeling and looking less and less in shape, I finally got back on my Nordic Track this morning. I don't work out simply to keep the fat at bay, (it's not working anyway) but I work out to give my heart some much-needed exercise. Never being much of an exercise lover in my youth, it is no easy task for me to begin this practice now but my aim is to reach old age in good physical condition.

Travelling across the continent made us both painfully aware of the obesity problem facing a large portion of the North American population and it's not a pretty picture. Aside from the overall feeling of ill health for an obese person, the burden being caused to the healthcare system as they get increasingly unhealthy will come out of everyone's pocket. Too much television and not enough physical activity is one culprit causing the problem of our widening girths but I feel the entire food industry holds the bulk of the blame. From the "super sized" portions available at every fast food restaurant to the quality of the ingredients going into them, we just don't eat properly. In a nutshell, most North Americans overeat and under-exercise, (myself included) and remaining on that track ensures crumbling joints, clogged arteries, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and an early death.