The Modern Ideal: Inert But Healthy

Here’s discomfiting news for the souls who grimly plod along on a health-club treadmill: Many people who don’t exercise feel quite robust anyway. In data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for January-September 2004, 35.5 percent of Americans termed their health “excellent,” and 31.3 percent called it “very good.” Another 23.9 percent said it’s “good.” Add those figures up and the total far exceeds the number of people who regularly engage in physical activity (see the chart below).