Is Your Town Making You Fat?

Living near cows could make you look like one. According to a new study from the University of Kansas Medical School, 39 percent of Americans living in rural areas are obese, compared to 33 percent living in cities and suburbs.

Prior to the rapid growth in obesity rates, many people in rural areas were involved in farming and other labor-heavy, calorie-burning activities, says study leader Christie Befort, Ph.D., assistant professor of preventive medicine and public health at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Today, that’s changed. “The manual labor just isn’t there as much as things have become more mechanized,” says Befort.

She adds that the notion of exercise just doesn’t fit into the culture of many rural areas. Gyms and personal trainers are expensive and inaccessible, and many towns lack sidewalks and trails. Outside of cities and suburbs, it’s often rare to see people jogging and walking for enjoyment. The less you see it, the less likely you are to do it, says Befort.

“We know that the more often you see people exercising for fun it actually has an influence on whether you’re going to go out and do that yourself,” she says. (Want someone to work out with you? Try Men's Health Speed Shred, the new follow-along DVD program that'll blast fat, torch calories, and sculpt every muscle in your body.)

Just as exercise can be contagious, so can sluggishness. Paul Lacoste has seen that firsthand. Living in Jackson, Mississippi, he grew tired of hearing his state named “Fattest State in the Nation” and decided to do something about it. The former Mississippi State linebacker, who played in the Canadian Football League and the NFL, launched Paul Lacoste Sports to combat obesity. Three times a year, he holds a 12-week athletic training program for the community. Last year, he rallied Jackson to lose a combined 14,000 pounds. He admits it’s not an easy battle.

"You’re dealing with a situation where, financially, people are so strapped they’re struggling to make ends meet, and when they get hungry and their kids get hungry, they’re going to grasp whatever they can find that's the cheapest,” he says.

Lacoste says that many of the people he works with don’t even know the basics—their idea of eating healthy is switching to baked Cheetos. So he starts small, encouraging them to eat more fruits and vegetables and to prepare their food in a healthier manner than frying. One tip from Lacoste you can snag for yourself: Hang a photo of yourself at your best and at your worst on your refrigerator and in your pantry. Then decide if you really want to grab those potato chips. (Want more weight-loss motivation tips and tricks sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the Belly Off! newsletter.)

Another small step for man, giant leap for your health: Start walking. It may not feel like "exercise," but walking does burn calories; plus, the only gear you need is a pedometer, a notepad, and a pen. In a British study, men who wore pedometers and then wrote down their total steps at the end of each day walked 11 percent more than those who didn't put pen to paper. "Recording your steps motivates you to beat your level of activity from the previous day," says study coauthor Stacy Clemes, Ph.D.

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