Ever since I started working out I've been keeping an eye out for other exercisers. I figured that I would run across lots of people who had decent muscle definition and that I could strike up a conversation about cutting, bulking, supplements, etc. Just like when you get a new car and you suddenly see all those people driving your model that you'd never seen before!

Crazy thing is that I can't find 'em! I've seen maybe 5 people in three months, and I live in north Texas with about 10 million other people. Where the hell are the fitness buffs? :confused:

I haven't seen any either. The closest I've seen to a healthy lifestyle is a woman who I noticed eating a dish of tomatoes and cottage cheese for lunch. You don't see that very often.

According to some research done in the USA, Texas is the fattest state in the USA, and by a decent margin IIRC. Also, some of the people you see actually do exercise and work out - however, they don't eat properly. Sometimes you see the opposite, typically in women - They'll diet, but not work out or exercise. The real reason though is that people are too convenienced today to bother putting themselves through any struggles, be it exercise or anything else. Society is soft.

Everywhere we go we notice this.

We were sitting outside a venue a couple of weekends ago waiting for a show we had tix for. As we were sitting out there, waiting for friends to show up, we were quietly people-watching and discussing what we saw. I'd say the average body fat walking past us was something like... 30%-ish, and that may even be a bit conservative. There were only a tiny handful of people who were thin. I don't remember seeing a single person who looked as though they were truly fit by the definition we hold here on JSF.

Ok... the show we saw was George Carlin. Carlin made some fat jokes about the average American and you could have heard a pin drop when he did. The audience, as I said, was comprised of predominantly fat people, and they didn't find his quips amusing in the least. We did... we were dying because, as usual, Carlin's observations were obscure but spot-on.

-R

A couple months ago my wife and I went to a comedy show in portland -

We made one mistake - we brought our 4 month old.

So we stayed for about 5 minutes and he was screaming because of all the crying, so we left.

Went to an REI at 9:30 on a Friday night.

It was sooooo weird. Not a single fat person in there. It was almost like being on another planet.

try going to a nightclub or danceclub once.
same thing with bars where younger people hang out.

i always feel out of place in milwaukee's "nightlife" due to a lack of muscle definition in my shoulders/upperback. seems like everyone is in perfect shape, but yet they're out drinking every weekend? doesnt make sense.

i tell myself it's because they're mesomorphs and that i have the worst luck on earth, and go cry somewhere in a dark corner.

so with that said - i think it depends on the age group. once people hit 24 or 25, it's all downhill from there. a comedy show where 30+ yr olds attend, there's going to be more obese people.

?? The suburbs of Philadelphia seem to have its share of healthy people. Well, some of the are healthy. Others just look good. Of course, there are plenty of out-of-shape fatties too. :lol:

i no the feeling, its worst at the cinema here in the uk, my friends and i go to the cinema every so often, and there is just fatty after fatty munching hotdog after nachos after pepsi, its quite sad actualy.

The size-of-people differences between the malls in the 'expensive' vs 'cheap' parts of Denver are astonishing.

Go somewhere like Boulder - yes a lot of fitness buffs, but also very well-off, and people are slim, same at Cherry Creek.

The local Wall Mart on the other hand ....

Even so the people here are definitely slimmer than in other parts, like Houston or Miami.

Actually the south seems like it has rather large poeple in general - lot's of deep fried food??

For some reason, they're mostly at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Seriously, I went in there a few weeks ago to buy an area rug, and the place was packed, wall to wall, with fit, attractive people. It also had a higher ratio of women to men than I saw anywhere in New York in a crowd that size outside of a broadway musical or that Italian restaurant across the street from my apartment where they're always doing bachelorette parties.

I guess there's something about regular exercise and eating right that makes a person all of a sudden want an area rug.

Hmmmm. Well I've lived in the North but I was born and raised in the South and I didn't see much of a difference with the "size" of people. And, don't you think some people might take offense to you equating money with being slim and no money with being fat?



The size-of-people differences between the malls in the 'expensive' vs 'cheap' parts of Denver are astonishing.

Go somewhere like Boulder - yes a lot of fitness buffs, but also very well-off, and people are slim, same at Cherry Creek.

The local Wall Mart on the other hand ....

Even so the people here are definitely slimmer than in other parts, like Houston or Miami.

Actually the south seems like it has rather large poeple in general - lot's of deep fried food??

And, don't you think some people might take offense to you equating money with being slim and no money with being fat?


They could, but don'tcha know... The white breads, and the pizzas, and the ice creams... Our "cheat" foods that we have only once in awhile... Are less expensive than what the fit people eat everyday. (This was the topic of conversation in a few college courses of mine - Sociology, I think, and Yoga, of all things.)

A big difference my family has seen (my brother, and to a lesser extent, myself) is the level of friendliness between strangers, and the width of the Wal*Mart aisles. So at times, I'll slip into my (authentic!) Southern accent when I meet people (not really...) because the Southern accent has been nationally tested and rated highest on friendliness, but not so the highest on apparent intelligence.

I've completely destroyed my main thoughts, and derailed the thread. :p I can try to find the report of accents and ratings, if y'all want... I'm done for now, I promise.

For some reason, they're mostly at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Seriously, I went in there a few weeks ago to buy an area rug, and the place was packed, wall to wall, with fit, attractive people. It also had a higher ratio of women to men than I saw anywhere in New York in a crowd that size outside of a broadway musical or that Italian restaurant across the street from my apartment where they're always doing bachelorette parties.

I guess there's something about regular exercise and eating right that makes a person all of a sudden want an area rug.
Reminds me of when my brother-in-law came to visit. He told me he likes hanging out in front of Winners because the women that shop there are better built than the average woman.

Thanks for all the great responses!

I'm sure if I hit Gold's or some more traditional-type gym that I would see more muscle-heads. I guess I just thought that surely I would see more people who were both lean and had some sort of muscle definition in the general population. Guess we ought to go back and hang out with our rock-climbing buddies?

A big difference my family has seen (my brother, and to a lesser extent, myself) is the level of friendliness between strangers, and the width of the Wal*Mart aisles.

:lol: Ok, now I am going to have to agree with your brother on that one :)

Hmmmm. Well I've lived in the North but I was born and raised in the South and I didn't see much of a difference with the "size" of people. And, don't you think some people might take offense to you equating money with being slim and no money with being fat?

The North vs. South thing may very well be my own very limited biases.

I didn't neccessarily equate money with fat/slim, but the observation (I made) is true. I don't know that the people walking around Boulder have money (many are students), nor do I know that for Cherry Creek mall (the clothes people wear do not give anything away - and I was there and one of the slim ones).

Anyway if I were to offer an opinion - which might well offend someone - I think the differences are more social than money per se. Thus even the poor students in Boulder tend to be slim.

The North vs. South thing may very well be my own very limited biases.

I didn't neccessarily equate money with fat/slim, but the observation (I made) is true. I don't know that the people walking around Boulder have money (many are students), nor do I know that for Cherry Creek mall (the clothes people wear do not give anything away - and I was there and one of the slim ones).

Anyway if I were to offer an opinion - which might well offend someone - I think the differences are more social than money per se. Thus even the poor students in Boulder tend to be slim.

I think so. There are big difference based both on affluence and social class and education. In this day and age, there are definitely overweight and obese upper-middle class. But the thinnest people are still those who have the resources to eat healthy, the education to know how to achieve a healthy lifestyle, the time and energy to pursue it, and the social background to place a high premium on looking good (in addition to being healthy).

On the internet. Actually I'm kidding, kind of :) I think most of us here are pretty honest about our stats. I know I always am, so people lying about them make up a negligible amount of people, but people who are fit and look it represent a tiny amount of the population.

Another thing to realize is that on the beach you can see who works out and who doesn't, but with clothes on in the mall it's often hard to tell a thin person who's got "thin fat" from a guy who's thin and has a few lbs of muscle on.

My general rule is that if somebody is oldish--say in their 30's and more--and they are not overweight, chances are they are fit. Sometimes you can get a hint by their face. If a guy is like 45 and thin and just looks vital you know that he takes care of himself.

In my life I know personally one guy who looks like he works out a lot. He's got a 10-12% bodyfat in the summer and a good bit of muscle, because his wife and him (actually she's pretty athletic too) go at it hard. Other people I know do either nothing or go in phases of interest.

The size-of-people differences between the malls in the 'expensive' vs 'cheap' parts of Denver are astonishing.

Go somewhere like Boulder - yes a lot of fitness buffs, but also very well-off, and people are slim, same at Cherry Creek.

The local Wall Mart on the other hand ....

Even so the people here are definitely slimmer than in other parts, like Houston or Miami.

Actually the south seems like it has rather large poeple in general - lot's of deep fried food??OMG yes, I've noticed the same thing, as has every person I've brought it up with. In Birmingham if you go to walmart you see the typical American. If you go to the Summit (richer area) there's a DEFINITE change in the people there. Instead of the average person being ugly and fat the average person is decent looking, with a vast number of stunningly hot well dressed ladies. The super target in birmingham has a higher quality of person from an aesthetic standpoint, as well.And, don't you think some people might take offense to you equating money with being slim and no money with being fat? I'm sure some would, but it doesn't mean there isn't one. I have absolutely no doubt that there is a strong correlational relationship between money and appearance (which includes weight). It's no great secret that the higher somebody is on the socio-economic scale the less likely they are to be obese. This is a fact, spelled out by various studies and surveys, so you can even ignore gobs of anecdotal evidence and notice the same thing. Rich people are more likely to be driven and self-critical. These are also characteristics of people who are likely to care about their health. It may be because attractive people end up being rich, and there's something to be said for that, but if you take 100 people from walmart and 100 people from some snobby, high-priced grocery, you know which group will be more attractive.

The size-of-people differences between the malls in the 'expensive' vs 'cheap' parts of Denver are astonishing.

Go somewhere like Boulder - yes a lot of fitness buffs, but also very well-off, and people are slim, same at Cherry Creek.

The local Wall Mart on the other hand ....

Even so the people here are definitely slimmer than in other parts, like Houston or Miami.

Actually the south seems like it has rather large poeple in general - lot's of deep fried food??

I can vouch for this as well, Cherry Creek definitely has some of the fittest people, and I do equate that with affluence, no apologies. (Skoorb and jsbrook said it well) Shopping at an upscale mall shows some level of affluence in itself. Go out to Wally World in the burbs and it's a different story all together.

As for geographical coincidences - check this out - http://www.mensfitness.com/rankings/304

3 of the top 10 fattest are in TX, 2 of the top 10 fittest are in CO.

Also - http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7286507/

I'll vouch for Boulder, CO. I just moved from there 6 months ago after living there for 5 years. The majority of people do have money, but everyone is fit. Also, regardless of financial standings most everyone is well cultured and of a higher class. It's really amazing the amount of fit people; I just moved to Davenport, IA which is probably a pretty standard midwest city and the place is like an armpit... no culture, no hotties, no typical motivation for me to stay in shape. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop working out and become a fatass, it just means that there is no reason for the normal idiot to do so. I am really beyond caring what anyone else does, there will always be hot women that are in shape and they will always be looking for hot guys that are in shape. The fewer guys that are in shape - the less competition there is ;).

hmmm, I am sure a LOT of visitors to this site are relatively new to the fitness/healthy lifestyle. These people may not yet have perfect "muscle definition" or perfect bodies yet, but they are practicing a healthy lifestyle, complete with good foods, workouts, supplements, etc. Somebody who started at 5'8 215 and worked down to 180 may still look a little pudgy, but is probably in stellar shape. It is really hard to judge a book by its cover.

I think I am a good example. I happen to have genetics that cause me to put on weight very easily when take time off of working out. After I was in a car accident a while back, I got up to 20ish % bodyfat. While I was working my way back down, I looked like a typical chubby person. In reality, I was eating well and in shape enough to run several miles at a time as well as do a couple of daily sets of 25 pull ups and 80 push ups.

The correlation between poverty and obesity is very high. It comes down to food choices and exercise habits.

It doesn't mean poor people can't be some of the fittest members of society, it's just a statistical relationship.

No one should be offended just like if you're fit and you live in Houston you shouldn't be offended when someone calls it 'America's fattest city'. It's just a fact about the population as a whole.

Well, I started the thread and you certainly wouldn't be able to tell I was doing almost daily workouts to look at me. But still, it's just not possible that out of all the people who are exercising on a regular basis only a small percent have reached a state of low body fat...........is it?

Boulder,CO probably would've been near the top of the 'fittest' list but my guess is the population is too small. But that's changing.

It's interesting to note that every single city on the top 25 has what most would consider to be unbearably hot summers, with the exception of possibly Long Beach where it's actually just sunny and warm.

The fittest cities, on the other hand, include many that have cool summers.

Wherever people rely on A/C all summer, they don't get out and do anything. Just an observation. :read:

Well, I started the thread and you certainly wouldn't be able to tell I was doing almost daily workouts to look at me. But still, it's just not possible that out of all the people who are exercising on a regular basis only a small percent have reached a state of low body fat...........is it?
The new time magazine talks all about this phenomenon...More people know about fitness and claim to exercise but in reality the population is getting in worse shape. A lot of people seem to be fooling themselves, particularly when it comes to their diets and gym frequencies.

When I asked my wife how often she works out a week, she answered three times. But that's how often she knows she should work out. The true answer over the course of a year would be probably less than one time per week because she's on again off again, which seems to describe most people.

That's the beauty of a site like this that enhances motivation through consistency.

That's the beauty of a site like this that enhances motivation through consistency.

I agree! Some days I will really NOT want to go to the gym after work. Usually looked at the media forum and seeing how much progress everyone has made motivates me to get my hiney to the gym!

Well, I started the thread and you certainly wouldn't be able to tell I was doing almost daily workouts to look at me. But still, it's just not possible that out of all the people who are exercising on a regular basis only a small percent have reached a state of low body fat...........is it?

Low % of bodyfat is not indicative of physical fitness. It certainly LOOKS great, but to be higher than single digits is usually healthier for most people. Mostly, it comes down to genetics, but for people like me, I can go down to 8% BF for going out to the beach to hang out, and when I'm competing in running races, I like to be around 11% to have that extra energy. I have done it time and time again, and I know that when I am around 10-11% BF, I can run faster and harder than when I am in the single digits. Also, for my marathons or distance events (longer than 13 miles), I will actually try to be 11% as opposed to the 9-10% I usually walk around in.

I also see the hugest guys who are in the single digits in BF% walk out of the gym, looking ripped and huge, then pop a cigarette in their mouth while they break a sweat just walking to their car in the parking lot.

Then, there are the "fat" people who regularly run races with me (one person I know is 5'2 and easily 150 lbs and female, probably 20% BF or more), yet she consistantly places top 5 in the women's division, out gunning and out running the stereotypical lean runner's physique that so many other women in my sport possess.

That being said, I see an extraordinary amount of healthy people around me (I live in San Francisco). I also see an extraordinary amount of unhealthy people around me. I guess it boils down to proportion of the population. Seeing 25% of 5 million people who are healthy (just 1 in 4), is still a lot more than seeing 25% of 10,000 people.

I guess you just have to be in the right neighborhood.

As for equating wealth with physical fitness - another factor to remember is that the healthy foods we eat and the supplements and the gym memberships cost money. People that for whatever reason do not have large disposable incomes are going to be less likely to have gym memberships and more likely to have 2nd jobs which will eliminate the spare time for fitness - they also will cut corners on the groceries - while definately possible it is also more difficult to eat healthy on a tight budget.

I personally would choose my gym membership over material possessions but I have to realize I am a minority in the convenience oriented (read lazy) society we live in.

I live in Northern VA - pretty affluent up here - and it seems like wall to wall obesity everywhere I go. Wonder if some of it has to do with the fact the average person here spends 12-14 hours a week sitting in traffic? Imagine if they could cut the commute and spend that extra time in the gym? (well they wouldn't but they would improve their health!!)

BJ

I used to live where you are- in Alexandria, VA. It seemed that in school the kids were into sports but the parents were almost all fat and lazy. There was some sort of age cutoff and with so many parents working round the clock white collar jobs they didn't make any time for staying in shape.

When I moved to San Diego I noticed a huge difference with the population aged 30-60. They were much more into fitness there.

The other reason Northern Virginians are wider than the norm? Almost everyone here works for the government. Government workers = lazy. (Seen it first hand from living here for the past 10 years, working for the government.)

Was walking around the Mall last week and probably saw one fit person for every 50 in serious need of exercise. Probably didn't help that Rolling Thunder was going on. :d_eek:

I was thinking that but didn't want to offend anyone. But now that you've said it, I guess it's safe to say it: Federal employees ARE a lot lazier in general than people in the private sector. This is not a crack on teachers or people in the military or other individuals who get a check from Uncle Sam because that's how their industry gets paid. This is a crack on the fat beuracrats that I always saw on the Metro who hadn't seen the inside of a gym in years but were very familiar with the inside of a 5 star hotel or an expensive restaurant with you know who(the taxpayers) paying the bill for these luxuries and their heart surgeries.

I live in the deep, deep south. In my town, there is (to my eye, at least) a distinct correlation between class/income and body fat. Only here, it seems kind of the opposite than everyone else is saying. The wealthy in our area don't buy better food- they just buy more food. They also eat out on a regular basis, especially on Sundays after church where they can be seen by society. Such as it is. You see, our area is so poor to begin with, that health is not seen as a status symbol- abundance is seen as a status symbol. For a man to be able to take his whole family out to Ryan's (which is crap food) once a week is "having it made".

Poverty-poor folks in this area have a scrawny, ill-fed, hollow eyed look. The only job a man without an education or connections can get around here is in basic construction, hanging drywall and roofing. These men are rail-thin and have no muscle tone. They are also in the weather all day so they often look like a piece of beef jerky. it's not uncommon for them all to be drinking beer and chain smoking while they do this, either. The women look like you could break em in half.

I would say that fully half of those in my area that live in true poverty also have dependence on alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes. Money that would ideally be spent on nourishment is spent on those things and they live hand to mouth, day to day, of course perpetuating the poverty.

So, neither group is actually healthy.

All in all, it's an odd place, but it's home. I just have to go across the state line to get some of my foods. There is one gym in town but it has always been nothing more than a social club for people trying to get laid. The managers won't help you unless you come in there with an already perfect, youthful body.

This makes a lot of sense. And it's quite common in less affluent countries than America. In countries where food and basic ammenities are harder to come buy, portliness is still a mark of affluence and not seen as bad. Just not in many places in America. But obviously still some as you have demonstrated.

I live in the deep, deep south. In my town, there is (to my eye, at least) a distinct correlation between class/income and body fat. Only here, it seems kind of the opposite than everyone else is saying. The wealthy in our area don't buy better food- they just buy more food. They also eat out on a regular basis, especially on Sundays after church where they can be seen by society. Such as it is. You see, our area is so poor to begin with, that health is not seen as a status symbol- abundance is seen as a status symbol. For a man to be able to take his whole family out to Ryan's (which is crap food) once a week is "having it made".

Poverty-poor folks in this area have a scrawny, ill-fed, hollow eyed look. The only job a man without an education or connections can get around here is in basic construction, hanging drywall and roofing. These men are rail-thin and have no muscle tone. They are also in the weather all day so they often look like a piece of beef jerky. it's not uncommon for them all to be drinking beer and chain smoking while they do this, either. The women look like you could break em in half.

I would say that fully half of those in my area that live in true poverty also have dependence on alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes. Money that would ideally be spent on nourishment is spent on those things and they live hand to mouth, day to day, of course perpetuating the poverty.

So, neither group is actually healthy.

All in all, it's an odd place, but it's home. I just have to go across the state line to get some of my foods. There is one gym in town but it has always been nothing more than a social club for people trying to get laid. The managers won't help you unless you come in there with an already perfect, youthful body.

poor people in my neighborhood tend to be overweight, being that most poor food choices are readily affordable (like a bag of dorritos).

i think it's the demographic. what goes for one place obviously doesn't go for another. generalization of such, therefore, would be shallow.

I have lived in 6 states, north, south and west. I have visited about 30 of the 50 states. I have never seen a regional aspect, I do see the poor tend to be fatter.

If you are healthy now, great. Stay that way, most of you aren't 1/2 way thru your life. There is a long time, you have to stay that way.