It's not easy staying healthy. Not only do you have to eat right, exercise at least three times a week, get plenty of rest, lower your stress and maintain a normal weight, but you also have to know your family history (which may or may not factor in to your health), quit smoking if you do and visit your primary care provider at least once a year. It can be exhausting!

And besides, who's got the time? Between work and family responsibilities, you're lucky if you remember to brush your teeth before you go to bed.

So the years creep by and one day, you look at yourself in the mirror and realize that, thanks to commuting 40 miles to your desk job and eating a not-so-healthy, high-fat diet, you've gained weight, have high blood pressure, your total cholesterol is 300 and your fasting blood sugar is in a prediabetic stage at 125. And you're only 45.

So you decide to visit your health care provider who prescribes multiple medications to stave off the crippling and debilitating effects of a stroke, a heart attack and maybe diabetes. And so begins your journey into middle age.

And so it goes

Thus go the lives of thousands upon thousands of Americans, your employees and maybe even yourself. And despite the insurmountable evidence proving their risk, more and more of those folks continue to do nothing about the potential disaster course that they're on.

That's why obesity continues to gain weight (pun intended) as the No. 1 public health crisis in this country. And why employers are banging their heads against the wall to stem the tide of rising insurance premiums.

Yet very few folks who are talking about health care reform, regardless of their position or politics, are stating the obvious.

People in this country, including our young children, are getting fatter. According to the Centers for Disease Control, during the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. (Obesity in adults is usually defined as someone who has a BMI of 30 or higher).

Risk factors

In 2008, only one state - Colorado - had a prevalence of obesity of less than 20%. Thirty-two states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; six of these states (Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%.

It's no secret that being overweight is a risk factor for health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, arthritis, gall bladder disease, gynecologic problems, some cancers and even lung problems. The proverbial elephant in the room is fat and no one wants to say it.

Growing waistlines

There are a myriad reasons for increasing waistlines and body weight in this country: inactivity, lack of peer pressure, automobiles, suburban sprawl, fast food restaurants, larger portion sizes, 'super stores' offering larger quantities of everything. This growth trend has to be stopped.

As you consider your workplace in 2010, there undoubtedly will be any number of health and wellness programs you'll offer employees.

After considering the financial impact on your budget, consider making a substantial commitment to simple, basic wellness - getting employees to eat better, exercise more, maintain a healthy weight and quit smoking. Many creative methods and programs have been discussed, reviewed and introduced in the pages of this magazine. They include walking programs, exercise classes, stress management programs, lunch and learns, fitness clubs and nutrition counseling, to name just a few.

The most important decision, though, is to do something.

The simple truth is that someone can greatly improve his or her health by losing just 5% to 10% of his or her body weight.

Though it is ultimately people's individual responsibility to take better care of themselves, it couldn't hurt if modeling better behavior started and was encouraged (or even incented) at the workplace. Having a 'lighter' workforce might not be a bad thing in the long run.