Friday Roundtable: Creating a culture of health

Zumba
Zumba is the current darling of the fitness world, with more than 14 million weekly participants in 150 countries.
MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel

By many measures the United States is unhealthy.

A majority of Americans think that they have a healthy diet, but a report from the CDC says otherwise. Over three quarters of the population don't eat the amount the recommended amount of produce.

But it's not just diets.

When the Mayo Clinic did an assessment of the number of Americans with a healthy lifestyle it found that only about three percent of the population made the grade.

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The individuals that cleared the bar exercised at least 150 minutes a week, scored well on the USDA's healthy eating index, met their criteria on body fat percentage and did not smoke.

The slim number of people with a healthy lifestyle is contributing to the growing number of obese Americans. By the National Institutes of Health's last count, over one third of American adults fall into this category.

MPR News host Kerri Miller speaks with three smart people about how to create and sustain a healthy lifestyle:

Chuck Runyon is a CEO at Self Esteem Brands, which includes Anytime Fitness.

Rasa Troup, is a former Olympian and dietitian for the Minnesota Vikings and UMN women's track, field and cross country teams.

Dr. Rekha Mankad is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Consultant in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

To listen to the full conversation on creating a culture of health use the audio player above.