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It is clear that with the exception of Hawaii, the healthiest states are those which have a colder climate. I am aware that there are other variables & demographics , but the evidence does seem pretty overwhelming.
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People may not recall what you said to them, but they will always remember how you made them feel .
Boy, sure don't know about that Colder climates can really give me some pain/aching in my hip (hip replacement) and shoulder (rotor cup surgery). We had to move from the Denver, Colorado area due to my pain and the fear of one of us falling again in ice/snow.......at age of 60, a slip/fall in ice/snow can be pretty bad! Moved to NC/Charlotte area, but, even though the winters here are milder than in Colorado, it is still to cold for us and my aching hip and shoulder. So, its off to Florida/Jacksonville where it still can be cold, but not like here all day long! From doing some research, a lot of folks our age and w/past surgeries like mine end up moving to Florida, So Calif, Las Vegas or Phoenix for warmer weather. Colder weather and older bone/muscles just don't get along!!
It is clear that with the exception of Hawaii, the healthiest states are those which have a colder climate. I am aware that there are other variables & demographics , but the evidence does seem pretty overwhelming.
I think it has a lot more to do with poverty and race. Southern states have a much higher poverty rate and much higher hispanic and black populations. The "healthiest" states are virtually all white, barring Hawaii.
I think diet plays a part in it as well. Southern states tend to have more overweight people, according to the statistics... too much fried, greasy food. Heat and humidity probably make people more inactive.
Overweight and inactivity = health issues.
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The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. ~Henry David Thoreau
I am from the Wash DC area; moved away from there due to its bad winters in 1978 for California then Arizona.
Suffice to say: my health has been significantly better since living here in the Sunbelt. Admittedly I am not obese (6' 4" 250 lbs) but am not as slim as I should be----------but am working on it
I think that the lack of sunlight really play a difference in peoples health. Never heard of a doctor telling anyone to go to a colder climate. For centuries peole ahve always gone to a warmner climate for health reasons.It has been shown that not enough sunlight is bad for mental health.
Not everyone in the South is overweight nor eats a lot of fried foods. Most of that info is just plain old poor stereotyping that is not always accurate. I've seen just as many obese people in the northeastern states as I have in Southern states. In the winter most people stay inside especially if they live in harsh winter climates. While I live in a warm climate we do have winter and it is havoc on those w/ asthma. I have an asthmatic child that suffers terribly in the winter and colder climates. The cold damp air is not good on them at all. In the summer she is outside daily, plays outdoor soccer, runs all the time, etc. No problems w/ heat and humidity and her asthma. It is MUCH easier to aclimate to being active in the outdoors in higher temps than it is in very cold temps. There are a lot more outdoor activities that are options in warmer climates than in colder climates.
I wonder, most northerners that I know (not all of them, mind you, just a lot of them) think of themselves as hardier and not wanting to bother the doctor with every little thing, so a lot of them don't go to the doctor unless they are dieing.
I grew up in Virginia and I remember as a child hearing the adults say they wished it would freeze and kill to kill the latest virus/bug that was going around. I began to notice that it actually seemed to work.
I live in the deep south now where freezes are rare and when bugs/viruses go arounf, just about everybody gets them.
I don't think it has anything to do with diet, some people are just prone to catching things easier. My daughter catches everything going around while I hardly ever get sick and we have always eaten pretty much the same diet. I DO promote healtheir eating to help keep us as healthy as we can be. It is just a smart thing to do.
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Colder climates can really give me some pain/aching in my hip (hip replacement) and shoulder (rotor cup surgery). We had to move from the Denver, Colorado area due to my pain and the fear of one of us falling again in ice/snow.......at age of 60, a slip/fall in ice/snow can be pretty bad! Moved to NC/Charlotte area, but, even though the winters here are milder than in Colorado, it is still to cold for us and my aching hip and shoulder. So, its off to Florida/Jacksonville where it still can be cold, but not like here all day long! From doing some research, a lot of folks our age and w/past surgeries like mine end up moving to Florida, So Calif, Las Vegas or Phoenix for warmer weather. Colder weather and older bone/muscles just don't get along!!
