Arlington Mayor Dr. Robert Cluck

January 1, 2004
Let’s Make 2004 a Year of Fitness and Better Health

It is that time of the year again. It is time to make plans for a new year and perhaps a new you. As the Mayor of Arlington, I am making a New Year’s resolution for our entire city to improve our overall health in 2004. As a physician, I believe that the single most important determining factor in a healthy and long life, besides genetics, is physical fitness. This is why I want Arlington citizens to join me in resolving to make the new year a year of fitness and better health. 

In November 2003, during the Texas Municipal League Conference in San Antonio, Governor Rick Perry issued a fitness challenge to all Texas cities. He cited the problems that excess weight causes Texans including increased health care costs, lost workplace productiveness and premature death. Together, these problems are estimated to cost Texas taxpayers and businesses $10 billion annually.

In a press release regarding his challenge, Governor Perry stated that, "sixty-one percent of Texas adults and 35 percent of our children are considered either obese or overweight." These statistics are reflected in the annual ranking of the "fattest" and "fittest" cities conducted by Men’s Health magazine. 

Unfortunately, Arlington has made this list for the first time this year as the 8th fattest city in the U.S. Although we are still behind our fellow Texans in Houston (#2), Dallas (#3), San Antonio (#4), and Fort Worth (#6), this is one competition that the City of Arlington does not want to win. The risks associated with being overweight or obese include premature death, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and some cancers, so the importance of getting fit goes way beyond a place on this list. 

In addition to problems with overweight and obesity in the adult population, our children are also struggling with this problem. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the number of seriously overweight children between the ages of 6 and 19 in the U.S. has tripled since 1980, from 3 million to 9 million. An excess of available processed foods and sugary drinks and poor eating habits modeled by adults surely can share the blame here. 

The Center for Disease Control uses body mass index (BMI) as one way to determine if a person is overweight or obese. BMI is a measure of weight as it compares to height, and it correlates with the amount of body fat a person may have. According to the CDC, the term overweight refers to anyone with a body mass index between 25 and 29.9. The term "obese" refers to anyone with a BMI over 30. For example, a person who is 5'6" tall and weighs 200 pounds would have a BMI of 32.3, and be considered to be obese. A person who is 6’ tall and weighs 250 pounds would have a BMI of 33.9, and also be considered to be obese. Click on this link to calculate your own body mass index.

In November, Governor Perry also announced that he would be naming the "fittest" city in Texas during the Texas Round-Up, a 10k walk/run to be held on April 17, 2004 in Austin. I’m sure that Governor Rick Perry and Austin Mayor Will Wynn, both joggers, assume that Austin will win this competition. I say we need to make a concerted effort to prove them wrong. If your doctor has found you to be in good physical condition and you have no health risk that would prevent vigorous physical activity, get out there and exercise! 

I encourage all Arlington citizens to try to include some form of exercise and healthy eating into their plans for the new year. All it takes to increase your fitness level is 30 minutes of activity four times a week that will raise your heart beat above 110 beats per minute. No matter what you choose, walking in your neighborhood, biking with your family, or jogging at one of our many public parks; find something you like to do and keep it up.

Join your fellow Arlington residents in getting fit during the New Year. Let’s make the City of Arlington the fittest city in Texas! 

Sincerely,