Tulsa unhealthy? (Oklahoma City, Kansas, Corn: 2009, violent crime, subdivisions)

[Bill236c]

SELF Magazine has ranked the healthiest places for women to live in the U.S. , and Tulsa and Oklahoma City are at the bottom of the list.

Population: 894,940
2009 ranking: 100 out of 100
2008 ranking: 94 out of 100
+ Below-average drinking rate
+ Shorter-than-average driving commute of about 48 minutes a day
+ Good scores for air and water quality
– Very poor scores for eating habits, including low fruit and vegetable consumption and many fast food restaurants per capita
– Safety concerns: Compared to the average, women are more likely to be a victim of rape, other violent crime and fatal car accidents
– Above-average risk for death from cancer, and women are among the least likely to get regular Pap smears, mammograms, breast exams, colonoscopies, physicals and dental checkups

SELF Magazine: Tulsa and OKC Are Unhealthy For Women - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

[Raelyn28]

Well like I have mentioned in other threads which I have been chewed out for...the driving here is terrible so I can understand the driving fatality thing. And one more issue... I have noticed that there are ALOT of overweight people here compared to the west coast...thus I can bet that the average diet here is junk food and lots of sweets.

Thanks for the info...this is really sad to hear. Just out of curiosity what is the healthiest place?

Originally Posted by Bill236c

SELF Magazine has ranked the healthiest places for women to live in the U.S. , and Tulsa and Oklahoma City are at the bottom of the list.

Population: 894,940
2009 ranking: 100 out of 100
2008 ranking: 94 out of 100
+ Below-average drinking rate
+ Shorter-than-average driving commute of about 48 minutes a day
+ Good scores for air and water quality
– Very poor scores for eating habits, including low fruit and vegetable consumption and many fast food restaurants per capita
– Safety concerns: Compared to the average, women are more likely to be a victim of rape, other violent crime and fatal car accidents
– Above-average risk for death from cancer, and women are among the least likely to get regular Pap smears, mammograms, breast exams, colonoscopies, physicals and dental checkups

SELF Magazine: Tulsa and OKC Are Unhealthy For Women - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

[Jammie]

Staying Healthy in "Unhealthy" Cities on Yahoo! Health

Here's a link that I found in the article that Bill shared with us. The healthy places they were discussing kind of surprised me. There's also a link to follow that lists 100 cities.

We were talking about this in another thread and it seemed like the consensus was that every food has to be fried and that contributed to obesity.

Honestly though, I believe in what the article stated about the fact that you can be fit no matter where you live. Exercise is my friend.

http://www.self.com/health/2009/11/h...map?mbid=yahoo

Adding~here's the map that was provided. This is confusing me. It says that Denver has a higher rate then average of sunburns, etc. and La. has a lower rate then average ?????

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Staying Healthy in "Unhealthy" Cities on Yahoo! Health

Here's a link that I found in the article that Bill shared with us. The healthy places they were discussing kind of surprised me. There's also a link to follow that lists 100 cities.

We were talking about this in another thread and it seemed like the consensus was that every food has to be fried and that contributed to obesity.

I also think it has to do with genetics. Many of us in Oklahoma are descended from ndns who did not adapt as far back to the European food stuffs that we find today in many of our diets (ground meats, sausages, fried foods, etc). Corn was the predominate grain and was prepared by roasting or grinding and mixing with water and animal fat. Most of our meats were cooked by broiling over an open flame, most of our veggies were either roasted, boiled, or raw. The processed foods, canned goods, pickles etc were not part of our diet.

Also, it should be noted that the more primitive the people the more they retain weight....it is a defense mechanism of the body. The body stores up supplies (fat) during good times so it can survive in lean times.

Originally Posted by Jammie

This is confusing me. It says that Denver has a higher rate then average of sunburns, etc. and La. has a lower rate then average ?????

Denver is a mile higher than LA. It is a lot closer to the sun and there isn't as much smog and atmosphere to filter the UV rays.........

[Howest2008]

Originally Posted by Bill236c

SELF Magazine has ranked the healthiest places for women to live in the U.S. , and Tulsa and Oklahoma City are at the bottom of the list.

Population: 894,940
2009 ranking: 100 out of 100
2008 ranking: 94 out of 100
+ Below-average drinking rate
+ Shorter-than-average driving commute of about 48 minutes a day
+ Good scores for air and water quality
– Very poor scores for eating habits, including low fruit and vegetable consumption and many fast food restaurants per capita
– Safety concerns: Compared to the average, women are more likely to be a victim of rape, other violent crime and fatal car accidents
– Above-average risk for death from cancer, and women are among the least likely to get regular Pap smears, mammograms, breast exams, colonoscopies, physicals and dental checkups

SELF Magazine: Tulsa and OKC Are Unhealthy For Women - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

Well chillax now and relax the cat is out of the bag now....Tulsan
and Oklahoma Citian are not healthy people......beware when you
move out there O.K......

[Raelyn28]

Wow, you said in another thread that I make excuses?? Please... we are all responsible for our own choices whether it is food, exercise, what we watch on TV and low and behold...how we drive. No excuses here Goodpasture. If what our ancestors passed down is unhealthy then we either have to change something or we will pay the price for our own bad choices. Blame in on genetics if you wish but we are responsible for what goes into our mouths.

I really like what Jammie had to say. That no matter where we live we can choose to be healthy... I think that San Fransisco was listed as one of the top ten cities where woman are healthier. I think that is because people are outside more. Doing outdoor activities, etc. I have noticed that people here in the south/midwest (whatever) sit on there ----- and do nothing. I don't see many runners or bicyclists here but maybe I am in the wrong area for that.

I am also amazed at how many hospitals there are in the area. Everytime I turn around someone has a cigarette in their mouth. I won't even go there since my sister was recently diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

I also think it has to do with genetics. Many of us in Oklahoma are descended from ndns who did not adapt as far back to the European food stuffs that we find today in many of our diets (ground meats, sausages, fried foods, etc). Corn was the predominate grain and was prepared by roasting or grinding and mixing with water and animal fat. Most of our meats were cooked by broiling over an open flame, most of our veggies were either roasted, boiled, or raw. The processed foods, canned goods, pickles etc were not part of our diet.

Also, it should be noted that the more primitive the people the more they retain weight....it is a defense mechanism of the body. The body stores up supplies (fat) during good times so it can survive in lean times.



Denver is a mile higher than LA. It is a lot closer to the sun and there isn't as much smog and atmosphere to filter the UV rays.........

[BigOkie]

Originally Posted by Raelyn28

Wow, you said in another thread that I make excuses?? Please... we are all responsible for our own choices whether it is food, exercise, what we watch on TV and low and behold...how we drive. No excuses here Goodpasture. If what our ancestors passed down is unhealthy then we either have to change something or we will pay the price for our own bad choices. Blame in on genetics if you wish but we are responsible for what goes into our mouths.

I really like what Jammie had to say. That no matter where we live we can choose to be healthy... I think that San Fransisco was listed as one of the top ten cities where woman are healthier. I think that is because people are outside more. Doing outdoor activities, etc. I have noticed that people here in the south/midwest (whatever) sit on there ----- and do nothing. I don't see many runners or bicyclists here but maybe I am in the wrong area for that.

I am also amazed at how many hospitals there are in the area. Everytime I turn around someone has a cigarette in their mouth. I won't even go there since my sister was recently diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer.

Since you've found so much to hate here, why don't you just move back? I haven't felt the need to go on my rant about the West Coast and PNW just yet out of respect of the 'if you don't have anything nice to say' edict my parents instilled in me.

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by Raelyn28

Wow, you said in another thread that I make excuses??

Is it possible that on the way down here you lost your sense of humor somewhere?

[Jammie]

NDNS~I've seen that word here frequently. Is it short for Indian? Seriously, I don't know. AND thank you~now I understand about the sunburn thing. It confused me.

Well, there were some Midwestern states that surprised them and were considered to be healthy. I still believe that at least part of OK has the Midwestern feel to it~maybe just the northeastern part, but it's there. Now I do agree that southeastern OK is Southern. But that's beside the point because the article didn't mention Kansas as being healthy either. It was more centered around the more northern areas of the Midwest. I was actually surprised to see the low ratings for Sx. Falls. Whenever we're there, we see a lot of people jogging or bicycling and they have fabulous bike trails surrounding the city. Maybe it's because of long, hard winters????

Rae, I'm sorry to hear about your sister. I actually smoke a bit myself. I'm not proud of it, but I enjoy it and I try my best not to overdo it or be disrespectful to others when I imbibe. I personally know a lady who smoked until her passing and she was 106. Her motto was "everything in moderation". She'd have a drink every now and then, too so maybe that's the key??? She applied that to eating, too and was always very thin.

The French are often considered to be extremely healthy. I watched a documentary on that once and the lady they were interviewing said we should only take one or two bites of each food because those first couple bites are the most enjoyable. Their portions are nothing compared to ours. She also said they walked everywhere they could possibly access without using transportation. Still, just having a healthy body weight doesn't necessarily mean someone is healthy. I still think exercise is the key to fitness and health.

Something I was impressed with when I was watching the weather channel a couple years ago~they were showing the weather in Tulsa and were filming at the River Parks. They'd commented on how many people were out getting fresh air and exercise and were showing the joggers. Rae, have you checked out that area because you'd maybe find more people there who are interested in exercise.

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by Raelyn28

..... If what our ancestors passed down is unhealthy then we either have to change something or we will pay the price for our own bad choices. ..........

Let me explain a little bit as to what I am trying to discuss. I never said there was a lack of personal responsibility. But what we do have to do is determine the cause of a situation before we can fix it. Native Americans had what can best be described as a "primitive" diet. Their bodies have a difficulty processing the foods being served in most restaurants and offered on most grocery shelves. Second, many NA's (ndn's) are at or below the poverty level of society. Therefore their diets are predominate starches and glucose. As a consequence we see lots of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity in our culture. Trying to educate a NA child that eating what their non-NA child can eat is difficult, but we need to be able to explain to that child the why not just say "don't eat that."

The reason for making these discoveries is not to excuse, but to find a cure for the situation and a solution that will work. Without analyzing the individuals involved and their habits you won't know what to prescribe......and it is important to address the problem, not the symptoms.

It is also important to realize that for many months out of the year, it is not fun to go outside. The rare nice day in June July, August and September is offset by the extraordinarily unhealthy days of extreme heat. Then while there are really nice days in October and November and December, there are frequently a lot of miserable wet icy days from November to March. When you combine the heat and cold and the fact that we are in an automobile oriented society then exercise seems to be something we have to plan, not just do. When I was in Europe, with narrow streets, and good public transportation we walked everywhere. When I lived in Ottawa, with excellent bus service, we walked everywhere. I recall the girl I was living with at the time leaving on the bus to go downtown at the same time I left in the car. She arrived at her work 20 minutes before I did. I then had to find a parking spot (monthly rates in the early 70's was $60 a month) while her bus pass (unlimited rides) was $25 a month.....and the buses ran until late at night so you could "date" on a bus and have a nice dinner and a movie or show.

So as individuals, we need to step up and identify those things that are healthy and those that aren't and make proper choices. As a society we need to develop a more aggressive attitude towards an "exercise" environment. A hundred years ago the cowboys of the west crossing the street would ride their horse the 40 feet. And as a society we have a "chicken or egg" dilemma. We need immediate conversion of streets to accommodate bicycles with dedicated lanes. We need dozens of more buses and bus routes. We need the price of gas to double or triple. We need parking to become more expensive. We need subdivisions to have to provide more public spaces. And we need it all to happen simultaneously.