BET special: Dying to Eat in Jackson Mississippi (health insurance, house)

[OneJackson]

Did anybody catch this special?
Do you think Star and BET covered Jackson accurately? why or why not?

[jacksonian]

I'm watching it now, you can find it here:
BET News Special | Heart Of The City: Jackson | 11/15/09 | Videos | BET.com Video (http://www.bet.com/video/668349 - broken link)

[OneJackson]

After I saw it I can say it's 100% accurate, but they could've took a tour and pointed out the over abundance of fast food places leading to this dileimma, not to mention the way people actually prepare their food (lots of butter, salt, sugar, etc..). Healthy eating is definitely an issue in Jackson though. this show barely scratches the surface but was a long overdue story.

[jacksonian]

I applaud those who attend exercise classes, but I think a change in lifestyle habits is the most effective way to stay healthy and retain the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Many times, people join gyms and attend classes, then a few months down the road they find themselves skipping classes, and before they know it they are right back to the same poor choices they once made. To be successful over the long term, I think the best thing to do is change everyday habits and make the old habits impossible as possible - eliminate anything that is not necessary. For one, stop using elevators and escalators. They are not necessary (unless you're disabled). Walk to places that are nearby rather than drive. When you do drive somewhere, do not circle the parking lot looking for the closest parking spot - just pull into the first one you see that is available. Limit the time that you watch TV to just one hour a day - WATCHING TV IS NOT NECESSARY. Instead of watching TV, try activities that are outdoors like walking, biking, yoga, gardening, yard work, etc. Work on your house by painting, cleaning, organizing, etc. It sounds silly, but it works. The more you keep yourself busy, the more productive you'll be and the more healthy you will become. Not only that, but you'll be more likely to succeed in the things that you put forth the effort - which will help you stick to it and NOT quit things like exercise classes if you choose to join them. All of this of course is extremely hard to do if you're not eating properly, ie dieting.

What I like most about the special is that it addresses the enormous expense that obesity causes on our healthcare system, which ultimately we all pay for in the end. The healthier we are as a society, the cheaper it will be for all of us to cover health insurance costs. This goes for obesity, smoking, alcohol abuse, etc.

[OneJackson]

Originally Posted by jacksonian

What I like most about the special is that it addresses the enormous expense that obesity causes on our healthcare system, which ultimately we all pay for in the end. The healthier we are as a society, the cheaper it will be for all of us to cover health insurance costs. This goes for obesity, smoking, alcohol abuse, etc.

but it's also attributed to depression and lack of motivation. at least concerning Jackson.

What Jacksonians need is a weekly place they can go to burn off the calories from eating so much junk food because we can't stop the fast food places from opening but we can do things to keep our minds off food and dying to eat all the time.

Things like:
1. Parks with pools and baskteball courts and monkey bars for little ones and open field for people to run and play.
2. Movie theaters(Jackson has zero theaters since the early 90's...pitiful)
3. More Bowling/Lazer Tag/Activity type venues
4. Citywide events like Races and Walks and hot air balloon races, etc..
5. More Parades (Jackson used to have a lot when I was a kid)
6. build more hike and bike trails
7. City leaders etc. need to encourage an active lifestyle on TV and get out and do it themselves.

It's starts from the top and Bottomline is... Jacksoninans' quality of life has been stripped away due to a very poor and unorganized City Council and a self-serving Mayor's office leading to a lack of growth and progress for the city. And that's when then you see all the eating and just sitting around the house and on the porch...eating..lol. and that needs to change.

Jacksonians' have so much potential (Shown in the early 60's- thru late 70's), but the city is racked with so much politics and red tape and filibuster, the people suffer ultimately in the long run. it's a vicsious cycle that needs to be broken and soon.