A friend of mine decided after a scare with his heart the timing was right to redo his office. He now does not use a chair. He stands up to do all his computer work, telephone calls and just about everything else. Im not a doctor but I believe he is on to something. After reviewing the 2012 American Health Rankings highlights there is good and bad news. Lets start with the good. Life expectancy in this country is now 78.5 years; there has been a 18% drop in premature deaths since 1990; cardiovascular disease is down 34.6% and cancer deaths are down 7.6%. Here is the bad news. Chronic illnesses shows Americans with troubling levels of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and sedentary behavior. A spokesperson from the United Health Foundation summed it up this way, Americans are living longer, sicker. Residents of Vermont, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Minnesota have the healthiest people. Our area doesnt stack up very well against the rest of the country. Illinois ranks 30th; Missouri comes in at 43; Kentucky is number 44 and Arkansas drops to 48. I came away from the study with three major issues that need to be corrected. Nearly 28% of Americans are obese, 26% are physically inactive and just over 21% still smoke. The spokesperson for the United Health Foundation says, There is no way that this country can possibly afford the medical care costs and consequences of these preventable chronic illnesses. People have to be successful at taking accountability for their own health-related decisions. I dont know how many of us will live to a hundred but for you men out there four of five who do live that long are women. See you at the gym.Health Statistics