Michael Moore to the rescue?

There is sure a lot of talk about our countries health care system these days. And with a presidential election coming it is only going to intensify. No doubt all the pandering will heat up from candidates who are going to tell you what they think you want to hear, that they will ‘fix’ health care, whatever that means.
As a fitness professional, I joined the Michael Moore Health Challenge. Have you heard about it? It is an email campaign started by people in the fitness industry to plead with Michael Moore to take control of his health and set a good example and it is gaining lots of momentum. As we all know, Michael Moore is very outspoken and eager to highlight the flaws, both real and imagined, in our health care system. Like everything else he speaks about, he finds a way to blame the current administration and make it a very political discussion. But what he fails to realize is that to many people, myself included, he himself is the epitome of the problem with health care in this country. He takes absolutely no responsibility for his own health but believes that everyone else should be forced to contribute for his health care. He wants the government to take care of him when he doesn’t take care of himself.
Now, obviously Michael Moore can afford his own healthcare, but the premise is still the same. As a nation we are getting more and more unhealthy by our own choosing and it is simply not fair to have a system where people who take good care of their health would have to pay as much or even more than people who don’t. Of course anyone can get sick, but we have to get real. The #1 killer in this country is heart disease, and the number of people on cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes medications is absolutely staggering and the obesity rate is nearing 50%. Heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes can be alleviated or prevented in a majority of cases through lifestyle change. We all know it is true but when the subject is discussed it is usually left out. For some reason it is preferable to make people victims of a system or genetics than to empower them, how sad.
The answer is to live a healthy lifestyle and take preventative measures, not eat whatever you want, get fat, smoke and avoid exercise and then go crying to the health care system to make you better.
If it weren’t so sad, I would actually think that it is funny to see Michael Moore, the poster boy for bad health and over indulgence, ridicule a president who has set an incredible example for fitness and good health. In no way am I speaking politically, no matter what you think of President Bush, his positive example for taking personal responsibility for health and fitness cannot be denied.
I know this is a tough subject but I think it is so important to really face reality when it comes to health. We all claim to know how important it is but yet it is continuously taken for granted and put at risk. Sometimes I think that the reason people are so willing to not make their health a priority is because of our amazing health care system and the incredible advances that have been made. I mean, whatever you bring on yourself they have a pill for, right?
If you would like to participate in the Michael Moore Health Challenge, send an email to healthychallenge@gmail.com and ask Michael Moore to use his notoriety in a positive way by setting a good example and taking responsibility and control over his own health.