The new year is a time for new beginnings, and what arrives along with new beginnings are New Year’s resolutions — a list of things you want to change and accomplish in the new year. So what will be on yours? I assume living healthier and becoming more fit would be on a lot of lists. 

Robert Burclaw, head personal trainer for Madestrong, which is located in West Des Moines, said he sees a lot of people come in after the new year in an effort to get healthier. He calls it the New Year’s rush.

“[However], after about two weeks, cliental tends to die down,” Burclaw said.

After the thrill of the new year wears off and the reality that staying healthy and fit is hard work starts to set in, it appears to be less appealing to continue the regimen of working out. Then again, this year could be different. This could be the year that people decide to make a change for the better, a permanent change.

The United States struggles as a whole to remain healthy. More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Research also shows that the heaviest Americans have become even heavier in the past decade, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Remaining healthy is an obvious problem for our country and it doesn’t help that unhealthy habits are right at our fingertips. Options like fast food and massage chairs make for a perfect couch potato recipe.

The lack of activity in life causing obesity increases risk for heart disease, type two diabetes and cancer, which affects more than one-third of adults and 17 percent of youth in the United States, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Iowa does contribute to the obesity rate of the United States. Iowa ranks 12th among the states and is at 31.3 percent for the adult obesity rate. That is up from the 23.4 percent rate in 2004, according to The State of Obesity.

Iowa’s rate of obesity continues to increase and unfortunately, if nothing is done, that rate has no where to go but up. The importance of keeping your New Year’s resolution to be healthy and stay healthy is very important, not only for Iowa but for the U.S.

Stay healthy and fit for yourself, and for your country. The U.S. should rank highest in many other things, least of which should be obesity. Let’s make 2015 a healthy year!