I’m Doing Great — But Look at HER!

It’s so easy to spot faults in others — and so tough to recognize those same problems in ourselves. Sometimes I think, especially as we get older, our eyesight tricks us into seeing much more youthful versions of ourselves when we look in the mirror. I admit it, during the Super Bowl half-time show I saw The Who and said, “Man do they look OLD!” My husband then turned toward me and said, “You’re the same age.” Shocked, I retorted, “Well, I certainly don’t look anything like THAT!” To which he unwisely answered, “Yeah - you do!” Luckily, as we were rooting for the Saints, I quickly forgot this faux pas and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

But this conversation came back into my head when I read a recent survey showing that, despite the barrage of information about the rise of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. that’s all over the media and Internet — including on Fit As Fido posts!, most American still don’t recognize their own poor health habits. The Cleveland Clinic asked over 2000 people about their health and what they thought of their neighbor’s health. While over half of those surveyed readily admitted that other people were becoming more unhealthy, less than one in five thought their OWN health was getting worse.

Here’s what people said about their health — and what their doctors thought:
- One in three people gave themselves an “A” for managing their personal health — over 9 in 10 doctors gave people a “C” or lower.
- One in three people gave themselves an “A” for healthy eating habits — over 9 in 10 doctors again gave them a “C” or worse.
- One in three people gave themselves an “A” for exercising regularly — and you guessed it — over 9 in 10 doctors said, “no,” giving them a “C” or worse.

So what’s going on? Researchers speculate that, when so many people have developed poor eating habits, don’t exercise, and are overweight or obese, it’s easy to say, “I may not be perfect, but I’m no way NEAR as bad as she is!”

Let’s not kid ourselves. We can ALL stand to improve our health habits. Wanna get started today? Then order your copy of Fit As Fido today so you can honestly start to say, “I AM doing great! And so’s my dog!”