The Last Lean Americans
Colorado’s obesity rates are the lowest in the country—but are we really as healthy as we think? Plus: We surveyed 400 Coloradans about their everyday health habits to see how—and why—our state has stayed on the good side of skinny.
FAMILY
Do you and your significant other exercise together?
Yes: 18 percent
No: 26 percent
Sometimes: 31 percent
I don’t have a significant other right now: 25 percent
Have you ever entered an organized running race?
Yes, I can run a marathon in under three hours: 4 percent
Yes, I've struggled through a few: 27 percent
Does walking one count? Then yes: 20 percent
I’ve thought about entering, but haven’t had the nerve yet: 33 percent
I can barely jog around the lake in Wash Park: 16 percent




"Top Doc's" comment on alcohol type is far from accurate
Dr. Li states that "...you'll have to work off 500 to 600 calories" if you drink two lager beers, so his suggestion is to drink Crystal Light concentrate mixed with vodka to "only injest 120 calories". While his number for the vodka drink is reasonably accurate, the rest of his information is incorrect.
Let's start with a standardized drink size, say from the National Institutes of Health: For beer, that's one 12 oz. serving and for 80-proof distilled spirits, that's 1.5 oz. Most vodkas are 65 calories per oz., yielding 98 calories per serving. Add an extra 5 calories for the Crystal Light and you're at 103 calories, which happens to be the same as 12 oz. of most light lagers. Don't like "light" beers? Then 12 oz. of a regular lager will be around 150 calories, so two of those is still nowhere near Dr. Li's "500 to 600 calories". Also worth noting is the 1 to 1.5 grams of protein in a typical lager serving, and yes, about 12 grams of carbohydrates (about half that in light lagers) -- not the simple sugars many of us are trying to avoid, but more complex carbs that are found in many healthy foods. Dr. Li should be more responsible in giving nutritional advice and 5280 should check facts before printing misleading information.