Which nation has the most unhealthy lifestyle?

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I'm tempted to say the UK. We don't know how to eat properly but our idea of healthy eating is crash diets like Atkins. At least Americans have access to a whole range of sports facilities like free basketball and tennis courts, despite an abundance of junk food. The Brits have to pay fairly high prices to use a tennis court for an hour or so, which obviously puts them off.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 07:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Botswana, most probably. A cousin's son is positioned there in the reserves, and when he and his wife came to visit last year they told me how despite repeated attempts at grassroots educational movements, many of the indigenous people are resistant to following any safe-sex practices, despite the influx of HIV years ago. This has sadly led to the 40%+ rate of AIDS in the general population, probably the highest in the world. OTOH, his wife was telling me how many of these lives are seemingly happy and carefree, albeit the lack of length...people just don't worry or seem to have much mental anxiety despite the physical suffering that surrounds them. They live, laugh, eat (usually uncooked red meat) and fornicate with full appetites...they're happy; maybe in another way they're also more healthy ?

― Vic (Vic), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 08:21 (twenty-one years ago)

That's interesting Vic. As soon as I sent the question I thought, oh but people will submit loads of famine or war-torn countries in the third world, which by comparison make the UK look like a health spa. So I was going to add that this question should take into account the surroundings and environment of the country. Botswana is a good answer because the people don't appear to mind too much about certain things.

I guess the question should be "Which nation is the most complacent about health?".

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 08:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Latvians are notoriously unhealthy. At close range they can also be found emit a foul odor.

― Victor Kimya, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 12:57 (twenty-one years ago)

i dont get the US sports facilities part. gym memberships cost too much money and b ball courts are always filled with serious pick up games.

― kephm, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 13:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Guam

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 13:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Whatever methods of relaxation the Chinese have come up with and how much their diet is of rice and low fat, high protein food, it is balenced out by the fact that many of them live with a cigarette in their mouth. They are absolutely crazy for the cigs.

― earlnash, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 13:05 (twenty-one years ago)

kephm, at least the US has basketball courts. A half hour of squash in the UK will set you back over £8. Sport is not cheap in Britain.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

er, how bout walking? let alone running, skipping, or hopping.

― AaronK (AaronK), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 13:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Just about everyone in Israel seems to smoke.

― Charles Dexter (Holey), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 13:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes Aaron, because all those things are fun. Especially in the rain with dogs biting your ankles and car fumes being injected up your nose.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 13:36 (twenty-one years ago)

there are free tennis courts, in glasgow.

this is another thread about people, isn't it?

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

i do boobah routines in the mornings

― kephm, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 14:02 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.handbag.com/graphics/library3/boobah.jpg

― kephm, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

that would make it less fun.

― AaronK (AaronK), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 14:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Sport is gay

― bloodclart (mangA Kid), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Sport is not cheap in Britain.

Gym memberships in the US are pretty pricey too. It's very common to hear arguments from Americans along the lines of "I finally let my membership expire because I wasn't going to the gym often enough to merit paying that much for it" or "I'd join a gym if they weren't so expensive."

If you're serious about playing a sport, then a lot of the free places in the US are less than ideal. They're usually not in as good shape as courts, fields, etc. that are not publicly available, for obvious reasons.

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

FWIW, Americans' are big "crash dieters" too. From what I've seen anyway.

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm sure martin. Still, I'm not that much into sport, but it would be nice to be able to go outside and play every so often, even if the free courts were less than decent. Weather conditions are also a factor. I wonder about the eating habits - US and UK, hi-calorie fast food or burnt gristle'n'chips?

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 16:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, US food is quite healthy on the coasts but get progressively more unhealthy as you head inland... and the folks get larger. I've noticed in my travel through the UK that healthy food gets really hard to find outside of London, especially good salads. I think beans on toast is about the best thing going over there.

― andy, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 16:04 (twenty-one years ago)

In the towns I've lived in (all US), public tennis courts, golf courses (if you do that sorta thing or consider it exercise, which I don't), swimming pools, soccer and baseball fields have all been pretty well maintained.

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 16:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know why, but I ate far more junk food in the UK. I mean I was remembering that once I ate ice cream for breakfast and I'd often eat walker's crisps as meals and I never drank water or even diet soda.

I hardly ever eat junk food now. I think it's been ages since I've had a chocolate bar or crisps or even french fries.

Oh and I also go to the gym every day now. Maybe I just went on a self improvement kick.

― Homosexual II (Homosexual II), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 16:22 (twenty-one years ago)

also a lot of public parks have gym facilities where memberships are available at a very nominal fee. Also, YMCA - "you can hang out with all the boys."

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 16:25 (twenty-one years ago)

My gym is free but it's a facility of my office building. Also the park near my house has gym facilities (with a pool, even!) that costs like something ridiculous like 50 cents or something.

I remember my classmate in London always invited me to go to her aerobics class.. insisting it was cheap, at only two pounds. I always converted it to dollars.. thinking.. dude, $3.75 aint CHEAP, man!!

― Homosexual II (Homosexual II), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 16:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I did forget about the YMCA, probably because there isn't one near me now.

I never noticed food being healthier on the coasts in the US, and I've lived in NYC and now Seattle. On the West coast there seems to be more awareness of health food, but it's a crock of shit in many ways. They'll put mayonaise on just about everything out here. (I like mayonaise, but I know it's not exactly well known for it's healthy qualities.)

When I lived in Bethlehem, PA there probably weren't as many choices for food as here or New York, but what choices there were weren't any less healthy on average. Nor do I remember the average people being noticably any bigger than anywhere else I've lived. Same with Nashville (though there are a good bit more options there than where I was in PA).

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I live in the thinnest city in the USA. I'm the black fatty sheep.

― Homosexual II (Homosexual II), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

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