Exercise, Healthy Eating Fall With Temperature
A decline in temperatures generally results in a decline in healthy habits in the United States.
This year, the percentage of Americans who reported frequent exercise and healthy consumption have continued to drop throughout the winter season, according to analysis from the Gallup -Healthways Well-Being Index.
Exercise and eating habits go downhill in the fall season and drop to their lowest in December. The falling trend typically reverses in January as temperature begin to rise, with a greater percentage of Americans reporting healthy exercise and eating habits.
Fewer Americans are excising and less Americans are frequently exercising in November than the month before in October.
The percentage of people reporting frequent exercise, meaning at least 30 minutes three or more days a week, fell 2.4 percent in November from October, and more dramatically by 4.7 percent from July. The percentage of Americans who frequently exercised also dropped compared to November 2010 dropped from 50.5 percent to 49.8 percent.
The nation’s healthy eating habits show a similar trend in seasonal declines.
The percentage of Americans who eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables for at least four days a week have also shown declines from 55.2 percent in October to 54.7 percent in November, and down 3.1 percent from a high of 57.8 percent in July.
The percentage of Americans who reported eating frequent servings of fruits and vegetables have hit a record low last month compared to previous November months in any previous year, dipping even lower than November 2008 during the financial crisis.
Likewise, the number of Americans who eat healthy throughout the day has also dropped. Produce consumption is down as well, when compared with the same month of the two previous years.
More Americans struggling to afford food expenses, resulting in more people cutting back on healthier, but more expensive, food choices like fresh produce.