Healthy Living for all Americans
The YMCA of Snohomish County is part of “YMCA Activate America,” a national initiative designed to leverage our history, depth of services, and programs. The goal of Activate America is to make healthy living a reality for millions of Americans.

Think about the following startling facts:

• In the last ten years, obesity rates in the United States have increased by 60%.
• The current generation of American children could be the first to lead shorter lives than their parents, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
• More than 50% of the U.S. adults do not get enough physical activity to make a difference in their health.
• Health problems related to obesity cost our country an estimated $117 billion a year due to direct health care costs, as well as the indirect economic costs of lost productivity.

The child obesity epidemic is a product of the environments created for children – by their families, their communities, their schools, and the industries responsible for advertising to them.

 
Healthy eating is associated with reduced risk for many diseases, including the three leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development. If kids are taught at a young age to embrace a healthy lifestyle, these habits will become a lifelong practice.