Written by Michael Torchia

New research has shown some unexpected differences between the height of Americans and those of Europeans, indicating that social status and diet are major influences on adult height.

This surprising reappraisal of American and European physiques is the work of researcher John Komlos of Munich University. “Much of the difference is due to the great social inequality that now exists in the United States,” Komlos told The Observer last week. “In Europe, there is - in most countries - good health service provision for most members of society and plenty of protein in most people's diets. As a result, children do not suffer illnesses that would blight their growth or suffer problems of malnutrition. For that reason, we have continued to grow and grow.”

On the other hand, America has eight million people with no job, 40 million with no health insurance, 35 million living below the poverty line, and a population that exists mainly on junk food. Consequently, the increase in average height that marked its progress as a nation through the 19th and 20th centuries has stopped and has actually reversed - although slightly - in recent years. Many Americans are rich, can eat well and have good stature as a result, but there is a large underclass that is starting to drag the country down the height charts. Much of the difference is due, in fact, to the great social inequality that now exists in the United States.

Our ancient ancestors, those who hunted and gathered were actually tall and lean, owing to the high quality protein and vegetable products they consumed. However, today’s diet causes malnutrition even as we Americans get fatter because of poor protein and the fact that the soil our produce is grown in is now devoid of nutrients because of over-farming. Also, fast food is cheap…very cheap in comparison to buying high quality foods, especially organic produce. Very often, it’s the only thing America’s lower class can afford.

This discovery of the height disparity has been revealed through research that Komlos has assembled over decades. It amounts to proof that the free market economy espoused by Americans doesn’t’ work in all instances and provides powerful support for those who back European ideas about universal healthcare and the end to government intervention in agri-business.

So what can one do, without getting heavily involved with government affairs? Operationfitness.com offers 5 simple steps Americans can take to help reverse the ill effects from a junk-food diet:

1. Develop healthier eating habits, 3 square meals a day with 2 healthy snacks like fruit or almonds.
2. Stay more active, you and your kids need to stay away from the computer and TV screen. Exercise stimulates the body’s growth, especially at a young age.
3. Avoid eating fast food and foods with a high amount of sugar. Low-nutrient snacks should be avoided at all costs!
4. Cut back on soda. Have juice and water instead.
5. Increase low and non-fat dairy products. Calcium is the building block of strong, healthy bones. Don’t skimp on it!

The effects of poor nutrition can be reversed and future generations can benefit from better eating habits and a more active lifestyle. American can catch up to our European counterparts if we stay focused and stay healthy.

Written by Michael Torchia

People can develop the habit of dwelling on the negative in their life. They need to shift their focus to the positive, think about what they do have, not what they don’t have.

One should be grateful to be healthy and always strive to be healthier. You must be patient and persistent. The muscles will become more toned and your waist will be smaller and remember, you can never fail if you don’t give up. You will be able to play your favorite sport better, just continue to focus on the fact that you are heading in a positive direction, even though your results are not coming as quickly as you would like. Magnify the achievements you have made and apply this attitude towards your work, appreciate having a job, appreciate your co-workers, stop complaining and focus on the benefits of your work. Apply this same approach with your mate. Focus on the good, not their faults and appreciate having someone loving and caring in your life. Most importantly, remember that no one is perfect.

Show appreciation to your children. They may not have the best grades, but with your encouragement and their hard work and time, they will improve. Spend time with your children with the emphasis on knowing they are a “gift” in your life.

Life is short. You don’t want to live with regrets because you lived your life focusing on the negatives. Be grateful, no matter what happens in your life. Focus on what you have in your life and you will become a healthier, happier and more productive person.

People constantly ask for advice with important decisions in their lives. “Should I take this new job?” “Should I confront this person?” “Should I take this relationship to the next step?” We all need direction from others at various times in our lives.

People say, to make good choices, we need to take the right course of action all the time. We make our decisions and our decisions make us. If we could learn to make good choices, we can have a successful life. Wisdom and knowledge will help us take the right course of action, not some of the time, but all of the time.

There are three pathways in life we can take:

• Bad Pathway- We’re always worrying, complaining about life and saying, "why can't I get a break."
• Good Pathway-We’re getting along, doing all right and things are just pretty good.
• Best Pathway-We’re prosperous, happy and really fulfilling our destiny.

You must be more sensitive and be aware to make good decisions. Sometimes just having a casual conversation with a friend will give you the proper insight into a situation. Our lives are so noisy, busy and hectic that we can’t hear that little intuitive voice in our head. We need to be quiet and take that ‘down time’ physically, but most of all, mentally. We are not going to make good decisions if we are out of balance.

Too many people are making emotional decisions. They let people and circumstances pressure them into making poor choices. Take for example, those late night infomercials with weight loss supplements and gadgets. They offer you the product at a big discount, along with outrageous claims, then pressure you by saying you ”MUST BUY NOW!” That added pressure is why we make the wrong choices and you need to know there will be another opportunity.

You should never make a decision under pressure when you don’t know the answer or what to do. Sleep on it. Never be in a hurry and make a hasty decision if you need more time. Take it and be patient. Don’t make decisions when you’re tired, had a hard day at work or school. We don’t make good choices when we’re overly tired or stressed.

Sometimes we let a dream consume our lives and we neglect our priorities in life. Don’t be consumed. Don’t let your desires get you out of balance, because that desperate feeling to achieve your dream or your desire can cause you to make the wrong decision. Wait patiently and you’ll have what’s best for you. Don’t live upset and frustrated. Get past the emotion. The “desire” can overcome you, and stop you from making the right choices. No matter how great the opportunity, how strong the desire might be, you must be patient. Pay attention to that little voice in your head. It will keep you from making the wrong decisions. Don’t override these warnings and force things to happen. Let your life choices come naturally.

"Action is the foundational key to all success."
Pablo Picasso

Brand identification is what all marketers and advertisers strive for. Unfortunately, researchers report that our children are more likely to recognize Ronald McDonald and the Nike swoosh than Jesus. One study found that 87% of all three and 4year-olds could identify Ronald Mc Donald - while half of them did not know who Jesus Christ or George Washington is. If you have trouble recognizing those product names, or even understanding what a swoosh is, don't worry. They're not meant for you. They are, instead, examples of an industry worth at least 58 billion dollars every year: advertising aimed directly at children. The value of indirect marketing - ads that are not made expressly for kids but are seen by them anyway - runs into the hundreds of millions. The result is that today's average child is familiar with up to 400 brand names by the time they reach the age of 10.

Parents have fretted about this for years. They know what it is to battle in the supermarket aisles with children professionally trained in the art of pester power. Those on low incomes are hit especially hard, nagged by kids desperate for gadgets or clothes they have seen on TV but which their parents cannot afford. Operation Fitness, an organization dedicated to the eradication of childhood obesity, reports rising incidence of mental illness among the young, with anxiety and depression linked to the pressure to buy, to own and to consume. The data shows today's children are unhappier than any generation of the postwar era.

Watch commercial television at after school and you'll soon be bombarded by ads for burgers, ice-creams, chocolate or brightly-colored water. The ads move fast, with plenty of whooshing and whizzing, and often with an inducement outside the food itself: a link to a big current movie or a range of free plastic toys. And schools are no longer a refuge from this commercial onslaught, but one of its key battlegrounds.

Parents of sick kids have reported McDonald's workers targeting children's wards of hospitals, handing out balloons and toys, but also leaflets promoting their own product. Others have noticed the food giants finding new ways to sell their wares, bypassing TV to reach directly into children's lives. The campaign group The Food Commission has singled out a Cheerios counting book that encourages toddlers to put cereal pieces in the slots on the page and Nestlé's offer of a customized story, featuring your child's name printed in a Milky Way Bar Kid adventure. Advertisers love the idea of breaking into what psychologists call "the educable moment" - that precious second when a child is reading or playing and so is at their most receptive.

Meanwhile, childhood obesity has tripled in the past 25 years. Nearly 15% of American children between 6 and 19 are overweight; 6% are obese. For the first time, children are being diagnosed with type 2-diabetes, a disease previously thought to be confined to adults over-40s. Last year, the government floated a possible ban on the TV advertising of junk food - so-called "HFSS foods", or products high in fat, salt or sugar - before the 9pm. The proposal was dropped just before the election.

But the question has not gone away. On the contrary, consumer activists predict that the promotion of unhealthy food to kids, and the wider issue of marketing to children altogether, could soon become detrimental to the health of our nation. It’s estimated that 3 in 4 overweight children will become fat adults and will suffer from obesity. The Children's Fitness Academy is launching campaigns for junk food commercials on TV and the internet to be banned. Others anticipate a larger movement, one that makes the business of selling to kids as controversial - and unpopular - as the selling of tobacco. They point to the survey by the National Family and Parenting Institute which found that no fewer than 84% of parents believe there is too much marketing aimed at children. Are they right? And if the danger is real, what can be done about it? Smart people are happy people. Feeding children fresh fruits is a much smarter choice than feeding them cookies and candy as treats.

Here is a small sample of calories from McDonalds food:

• Big Mac: 590 calories
• Medium Fries: 450 calories
• Small Chocolate Shake: 360 calories
• Egg McMuffin: 290 Calories
• Small Coke: 150 Calories

This is a frightening realization, especially when the average grown man needs about 2,700 calories per day and the average woman needs only about 2,000 per day to maintain their weight. One McDonald’s lunch from the above menu can use up that allotment and then some…

The fast food chains jingles are embedded in our memories since childhood and trigger our cravings for those unhealthy types of food. That says two useful things. First, that advertising really does have an impact on the juvenile brain, one that can last for decades. Second, that using TV and the internet to persuade kids to buy things, including sweets, is not new. The inducements that stir such controversy now are hardly new either. I remember shaking the morning box of Trix or Frosted Flakes for the toy within. I remember pestering my mother to buy Coco Puffs until I had collected enough tokens to receive my "free" yoyo. There needs to be change in how fast food companies advertise the food lines so not to breed a future generation of children psychologically conditioned to eat junk food!

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Written by Michael Torchia

Over 45 million cats and dogs in the United States are considered overweight. There’s no difference in how a human gains weight or how your pets gain weight. Too much caloric intake and not enough physical activity equal weight gain. Healthy Pet Nation.com provides charts that show how many calories are burned as a result of common activities such as walking, jogging or strenuous playing with your pet. Pet Exercise Tips Take your dog to the tennis court with you to retrieve your tennis balls or if they don’t know how to retrieve, let them just chase your serves. Let your dog be your running partner! Bring them for all or part of your daily run. Take your dog to the park throw a hard rubber pet exercise ball for your pet to chase after makes a great fun workout. Cats are a lot more difficult because they are mostly indoor pets. Appeal to their hunting instinct by hiding treats and toys around the house. Give them multi level climbing ramps and hang play balls full of catnip at the top. Pet feeding Tips and suggestions Avoid feeding table scraps and snacks while you’re eating. Your pet will start developing bad eating habits and will tend to overeat. In addition, it will prevent your pet from eating their nutritionally well-balanced foods. Many dogs and cats love eggs, fruits and vegetables, so mixing these types of foods with your pet’s meals at times as a treat is fine. Remember, everything in moderation! Don’t let your animal “help” with food prep. Keep ‘em in a different area of the house while preparing and eating meals, especially if you over indulge them with table scraps. The goal of Healthy Pet Nation Program is to eradicate this devastating problem by being pro-active and by using preventative measures. The key to success is by properly educating both children and adults how to take proper care of their pets. Operation Fitness created the "Healthy Pet Nation Program" and established an elite team of health experts that conduct seminars at pet stores throughout the country. It is just as important to focus on preventing obesity, as it is to alleviating this rapidly growing disease affecting our nation.

America’s Fitness Boom has bred a generation plagued with severe joint problems and eating disorders. The famed phrase “NO PAIN – NO GAIN” was drilled in baby boomers brains, along with extreme methods of diet and exercise regimes.The search for physical perfection created a generation of driven and, at times, obsessed individuals. Many fitness gurus and celebrities profited from the boomers need of achieving quick and easy methods of weight-loss. Men wanted that perfect six-pack and women desired buns of steel. All sorts of exercise gadgets, diet books, tapes were being sold via television, radio and various publications promising eager boomers an easier, better way to become one of the "beautiful people". Workout-Related Injuries Are Now EpidemicThis fitness obsession has come at a price: according to a 2003 survey by National Ambulatory Medical Care, the 78 million Americans born from 1946 to 1964 have elevated sports injuries as the No. 2 reason for doctor's office visits nationwide behind the common cold. Along these lines, the Consumer Product Safety Commission examined emergency-room visits in 1998, and discovered that sports-related injuries to baby boomers had risen by 33 percent since 1991. The most common injuries sustained by over use by the boomers are the knees, shoulders, hips and the lower back.The fault for the ironic toll of fitness obsession lies with unreal expectations. Many middle-aged adults seeking to get back into shape start their fitness routines at the same extreme levels of intensity as they did in their twenties. Common ailments among the middle-aged people such as poor posture, long-term excess abdominal weight impacting the backbone, and knee-related injuries can be aggravated by working out.

Starting A Workout Schedule: The Four-Step Process

1. Get your family doctor's adviceA further structural evaluation by a licensed medical professionalNutrition counseling
2. Additional bio-medical evaluations

There are four beginning steps to getting started on to a fitness program. The first step involves having a complete physical by a family doctor. At this point, avoiding injury should be the top priority and getting proper advice from a doctor is a given. The second step involves getting a structural evaluation by a licensed physical therapist or chiropractor. Again, avoiding over training is the goal in order to maintain long-term fitness goals. The Third step involves a nutritionist for a sensible meal plan, fourth step is to find a good certified personal trainer to design a workout program and to teach you how to properly train your body and avoid injury. Finally, additional bio mechanical evaluations from certified sports clinics and fitness professionals can provides an added level of safety and can actually speed up the fitness process. Currently, sports-medicine practices are growing at an incredible rate because of the baby boomers. The improved evaluation services and diagnostics have been effective in helping boomers steer clear of health threats brought on by exercise. After proper medical evaluations, finding a well-equipped gym and qualified workout trainers is the crucial. Not all gyms or gym machines are created equal and some workout equipment is notorious for causing injury or being ineffective. Additionally, increased demand for workout instruction has led to a large increase in unqualified fitness trainers who lack basic training and knowledge of bio mechanics and exercise physiology. At present, there is no standardized system for certifying fitness trainers but several certifying organizations such as the American Council of Exercise and the International Sports Sciences Association exist to provide professional training and information for fitness trainers and their clients. Asking a fitness trainer for a recognized certification should be the first step in hiring a workout trainer.

The numbers of overweight children are increasing, and many parents are rightly concerned about their children's weight and how it affects them. The good news is that parents can help their children live healthy, active lives. Overweight children respond better to the word 'activity' than to the term exercise, because some children associate exercise with sweat and work, things they may feel are negatives. To really make an impact with overweight children, parents must help them increase their level of activity throughout the day. Some parents underestimate the health risks of excess weight to their children. Overweight children tend to become overweight adults. Childhood obesity can result in increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, stress and high blood pressure, diseases we traditionally associate with adults. Strategies to create a family fitness program: - Make time for the entire family to participate in regular physical activities that everyone enjoys. Try brisk walking, bicycling or swimming. - Plan special active family outings, such as a hiking or playing sports. - Assign active chores to every family member, such as, washing the car or mowing the lawn. - Limit the amount of TV watching and other activities that require sitting for long periods of time. Suggestions to get your family create healthier eating habits: - Implement a healthy meal program (rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains) for the entire family, not just for select individuals. - Plan times when you prepare foods together. Children enjoy participating and can learn healthy cooking and food preparation. - Limit the frequency of fast-food eating to no more than once per week and gradually try to eliminate it. - Avoid using food as a reward or the lack of food as punishment. Parents can establish a lifetime of healthy eating habits for themselves and their children by focusing on increasing daily activities and improving food choices.

American-born, African, Hispanic and Asians between the ages of 12 and 15 are more than twice as likely to be obese than their peers who were born in their own countries, according to a University of North Carolina study. From fast food restaurants to movies in the mailbox, the way we live fuels America's escalating obesity rates. Los Angeles, CA - June 23, 2007 - Michael Torchia, Health Expert says, "Our current strategy to cure the obesity epidemic focuses on individual weight loss when instead we need to transform the American lifestyle as a whole. As a capitalistic society, we embrace any innovation that promotes convenience and efficiency. Naturally, fast food, movies in the mail, online shopping and TV dinners have become mainstays of the American lifestyle - not to mention beach-ball bodies. The percentage of Americans ages 20 to 74 with body mass indexes higher than 25, which is classified as "overweight," has risen from 45 percent in 1961 to 66 percent in 2007, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Far too often, weight-loss experts blame our genes for this dismal statistic. In a newly released book, "Rethinking Thin," New York Times science writer Gina Kolata argues that most people who are overweight struggle to slim down their entire lives, but remain stuck "within a relatively narrow weight range set by their genes." Although it is true that our genes are working against us - human evolution has favored genes that conserve energy, and therefore store fat, for survival in times of scarcity - the facts remain. First of all, we cannot change our genes. Secondly, in the early 1960s, the majority of Americans were at a healthy weight. The human genome has not changed in a span of less than 50 years. And genes can't explain why there's a higher adolescent obesity rates in American-born minorities than in immigrant adolescents. In both cases, the groups with the higher incidence of overweight subjects have one thing in common - the modern American lifestyle. Although we can't modify our "weight genes," we can change the culture that allows them to express their predisposition to store fat.We are making progress in our quest to change the shape of the average American, but it might be in the wrong direction. From government Web sites like www.mypyramid.gov to America's $40 billion weight-loss industry, slim-down resources now appear everywhere. Even some advertisements for diet pills are telling us the right way to lose weight. According to a nanoSLIM ad in the summer 2007 issue of Abs Magazine, Regular exercise and proper nutrition are essential for achieving your weight-loss goals. It's great that we are trying to turn things around, but it's obviously not helping that much. Only 5 percent of attempts to lose weight and keep it off end in success, according to the FDA.The problem is that we aren't looking at the big picture - the big picture being the American way of life. Our current strategy to cure the obesity epidemic focuses on individual weight-loss when instead we need to transform the American lifestyle as a whole. We need to start centering social events around "active fun" like long walks or dancing instead of oversized, fried meals and alcohol. We need to make nourishment - not gluttony - a priority of eating once again. A sedentary workday should be punctuated with exercise breaks instead of latte breaks.Every American, heavy or fit, needs to make an effort to change our culture. Thousands of overweight people die each year from complications associated with Type II diabetes, coronary heart disease cancer. Even worse is the humiliation, discrimination and emotional damage that being fat in America brings. But if compassion isn't your thing, taking personal responsibility to change the American culture could save you a lot of money in taxes. Staggering obesity rates account for $117 billion in U.S. healthcare annually, according to the FDA.So get moving. Ask a friend to take a neighborhood stroll with you rather than catching up over chips and queso. Plan a camping trip or a sand volleyball game rather than organizing a keg party. Contact your favorite campus restaurant and suggest that they add some healthy choices to the menu. During your lunch breaks, get a few of your colleagues to walk with you to a healthy restaurant instead of driving to the nearest fast food restaurant. Although one person can't change the entire American way of life, such individual efforts constitute crucial baby steps towards a collective initiative. If everyone starts spreading these healthy habits within their circle of friends, family members and co-workers, the ripple effect will create a groundswell of attitude and behavior change that will revolutionize the American way of life. Soon, inexpensive fast-food joints will be forced to swim with the current, adding even more light, nutritious meal options than they already offer. Overpriced health-food restaurants such as Whole Foods will have to lower their prices to remain competitive. A healthy lifestyle will become more affordable all around, providing even the lower socioeconomic classes - the segment of society with the highest obesity rates - with the resources necessary to slim down. But all this begins with individual efforts to positively change our lives and the lives of the people closest to us. If we make sure that an unhealthy lifestyle is no longer the norm, a BMI over 25 won't be either.

Michael Torchia, Health and Wellness Expert, uses a very unique process to evaluating and helping people in need to create healthier lifestyles. As “Doctor House” in the popular television series, Michael utilizes a team of health experts and goes on fact finding missions to provide the methods to help people who are overweight and out of shape, become physically fit. This includes going to their home, places of work and meeting the people they socialize with to properly evaluate and implement the specific system to achieve live saving results.

Los Angeles, CA. June 11, 2007 – Michael Torchia, Health and Wellness Expert’s mission is to take people who have typical excuses of why they can’t make time to workout and eat right and help them make the necessary changes in their lives to permanently maintain a healthier way of living. A habit is something we do without thinking about it. That’s why so many Americans today are overweight and out of shape. Studies have shown us that 90% of our normal behavior is based on our habits. That means how we treat people, how we spend our money, what we watch on TV, what we listen to and what we eat. 90% of the time we are on autopilot. It takes about 21 days to develop a good or bad habit. So if you need to create a healthy lifestyle, you need to identify your bad habits and then start to make these changes. It’s easy not to go to the gym and eat anything you want, but you can become a slave to these habits. It will be uncomfortable and a struggle to change or a at times, but you will become a healthier and happier person. Torchia and his fitness team will teach the most stubborn and unmotivated Americans how to break their bad habits. Torchia will show you that feeling good mentally, emotionally and physically doesn’t require a rigorous training program. Utilizing household items, junk from garages and office furniture, people can create simple ways of working out along with participating in stimulating activities in the wilderness or a park. In addition, hiking, rollerblading, horseback riding, dancing, tennis and golf are just some activities that are great for the mind and body. There will be creative cooking segments, where Torchia will teach people how to reengineer their favorite recipes to be not only healthier, but great tasting too. You will learn how to become more confident, physically fit and establish life long healthy eating habits. Our nation truly needs to be inspired to make the necessary transitions to create a healthier and happier lifestyle. Michael Torchia is one of the foremost fitness experts in the country and is dedicated to fighting the epidemic of obesity. Torchia and his team of health experts will educate people about the physical impact on the body whether it’s because of being a couch potato, baby boomer trying to regain their vigor or to prevent the weekend warrior from getting injured. Often the mental aspect of exercise and healthy living is ignored and it takes its toll on one’s self-esteem, so the antidote to depression, lack of motivation and energy goes undiscovered. There should be no stress over what and how to eat. Starting on a fitness program doesn’t mean you have to spend 2 hours a day in the gym and weigh every morsel you eat. What people need is to understand the effects and the benefits of smart decision making when it comes to exercise, nutrition and thinking healthy. Michael will provide the crucial information in a fun, entertaining and inspirational way and Torchia’s style of fitness combined with his reputation in the industry makes him the “Doctor House” of fitness.

Michael Torchia, Health and Wellness Expert, who founded "Children's Fitness Academy" to help fight the epidemic of childhood obesity, created a bill to reform and create stricter guidelines for the manufacture of packaged foods. He is requesting stricter Guidelines for manufacturers, distributors and marketers of foods that contain toxic ingredients so that they will be held accountable for their products. Los Angeles, CA. May 3, 2007 -- Michael Torchia, Health and Wellness Expert, founder of Children's Fitness Academy, is requesting help from Governor Schwarzenegger by asking him to submit a bill through his office to help regulate the activities of the giant food manufacturers. Torchia feels Governor Schwarzenegger, as a famous and immediately recognizable civic leader, he -- more effectively than anyone else -- can help end the American epidemic of obesity. Torchia says, "As Governor of California, he has the power to influence, inspire and motivate people from all walks of life. I remember how he inspired me when I was 15 years old. Because of the Governor, I pursued my dream to compete in bodybuilding. And just as he has given back to the community, he motivated me to share with others all that I've learned in the field of health and wellness. It's clear to me that we both share a desire to see a healthier America, one in which obesity is not such an alarmingly serious health issue." The time has come in this country for a cultural shift toward health and wellness and away from the inherent dangers of obesity. Torchia proposes that legislation be enacted in California which forces food manufacturers to add warning labels to all food and beverage products containing ingredients known to be toxic to the human body. Food manufacturers and distributors, as well as any group making claims about the healthfulness of a food product, would have to follow strict regulations regarding those claims. They would also be required to provide guidelines for healthy, age-appropriate consumption of their products. People are unknowingly consuming goods, which directly and adversely affect their health. With this legislation, Torchia hopes to make Californians -- and eventually all Americans -- aware of the fact that long-term consumption of trans fats, artificial sweeteners and food dyes can lead to obesity and to the development of Metabolic Syndrome-X (MSX). This is a condition which weakens immune systems and makes people much more susceptible to type-2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and other crippling lifestyle diseases. Producers, distributors, and marketers of foods that contain toxins leading to the development of MSX should be held accountable for the ingredients in their products. Torchia says, "If we are successful, these manufacturers will be forced to reformulate their food products and provide healthier choices for consumers." Today, we are inundated with endless "convenient" food choices, many of which are extremely unhealthy. This coupled with the fact that most Americans say they are too busy for regular exercise, has helped to create a society of roughly 62 million obese adults. Further, the government's out-of-date healthy-eating guidelines make little sense to most people, Torchia said. And while public awareness of obesity may be increasing, the numbers of so-called "solutions" to this social problem are also increasing, with little positive results. This legislation would help people make healthy and informed choices about what they eat. Limiting toxins in our foods will allow people to live healthier, happier and more productive lives, he said. With political support on this life-or-death issue can be the start of a cultural shift in this country toward health and wellness. Legislation is a great first step toward solving the obesity epidemic, but education and awareness on a child-by-child basis are the keys to creating a healthier nation, he said. With that goal in mind, Torchia created "Children's Fitness Academy" (CFA), an innovative resource public and private schools can use to implement health and fitness education programs. CFA's team of professional fitness and education experts will work with schools to revise and update California's physical education programs as well as provide informative and engaging seminars on career opportunities in the health and fitness arena. In addition, a CFA task force will work to help implement awareness on a statewide level, Torchia said. Members of the task force will conduct research and police those targeted by the legislation, reporting their findings to your office, to the USDA, as well as to children and parents so that healthy and informed choices can be made. Torchia says, "As you can see, there is much work to be done to create this cultural shift. With CFA's unique plan for creating a healthier nation and political leadership, I believe we can guide the country toward a healthier way of life that will surely benefit those struggling to overcome obesity as well as generations of Americans to come.