From the Assemblies of God New Service

** HEALTH EXPERTS IMPLORE AMERICANS TO GET FIT - May 5, 2004

   Annually the killer takes 400,000 lives and costs more than $100
   billion. Right now, 64.5 percent of Americans are within the
   killer's grasp. The main weapons the killer depends on are poor
   choices, too little time, junk food and a general lack of
   motivation or willingness to fight back.

   The killer is obesity. Being overweight has reached epidemic
   proportions in the United States and is quickly challenging
   smoking as America's No. 1 killer. Because obesity is so lethal
   yet not taken seriously by a vast majority of Americans, health
   and medical leaders are scrambling to reiterate that fat kills.

   "To know that poor eating habits and inactivity are on the verge
   of surpassing tobacco use as the leading cause of preventable
   death in America should motivate all Americans to take action to
   protect their health," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy
   G. Thompson said when announcing a new national education campaign
   in March. "We need to tackle America's weight issues as
   aggressively as we are addressing smoking and tobacco."

   Julie, 56, who attends an Assemblies of God church in California,
   was embarrassed when her doctor told her she was 25 pounds
   overweight. Tall and slender for most of her life with what she
   calls a "fast metabolism," she never worried about her weight. But
   after turning 50, she says, "the weight started sticking to me."

   She blames menopause, her office job where she sat for several
   hours each day, taking in too many calories and lack of exercise.

   "I never thought I had a weight problem," says Julie, whose story
   is similar to millions of Americans. "But when my doctor told me I
   was overweight and had high cholesterol it scared me."

   Julie embraced healthy, well-proportioned meals, joined a gym and
   began an exercise regime. In two months she lost 17 pounds and
   lowered her cholesterol by 50 points.

   "Today I feel healthy and have more energy," she says, noting that
   she wants to lose eight more pounds. "Losing the weight and
   staying healthy is hard but it's a lifelong deal."

   James W. Long Jr. directs the Utah Artificial Heart Program in
   Salt Lake City and leads a team that is developing a revolutionary
   artificial heart pump. He says more people need to have a wake-up
   call similar to Julie's.

   "Over the last several decades, the problem of being overweight
   has worsened by 20 to 25 percent," says Long, a graduate of
   Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. "Being overweight
   raises the risk of developing heart disease by two- to fourfold."

   Obesity can lead to high blood pressure, type II diabetes, heart
   disease, stroke, respiratory problems, sleep disorders,
   gallbladder disease, various cancers and even death. To help avoid
   such ailments experts say people must eat wiser and exercise. In
   doing so, some experts say, Christians also can share their faith.

   "Being overweight is a serious problem, but it is easily prevented
   and corrected," says Barbara Schoonover, a registered nurse and
   diabetes clinician/educator who attends Central Assembly of God in
   Springfield, Missouri. "A person can drastically improve his or
   her life by cutting back on the amount of food he or she eats and
   exercising regularly 30 to 45 minutes a day."

   Schoonover knows this to be true firsthand. Four years ago her
   brother died of a heart attack related to his being severely
   overweight and his diabetes (which runs in their family).
   Schoonover mourned her brother's death, but also let it inspire
   her to live a healthier life and to keep teaching people to do the
   same. After her brother's death Schoonover lost 30 pounds by
   practicing what she teaches.

   "I regained energy and prevented the onset of diabetes," she says
   of her weight loss and newfound healthy lifestyle. "Plus, living
   healthy is a wonderful testimony to what can be accomplished with
   the Lord's help."

   Each day Schoonover walks several miles. When she walks she
   frequently visits with other walkers and neighbors who inevitably
   ask how she lost the weight. Such conversations, says Schoonover,
   always lead to conversations about faith.

   As an educator Schoonover emphasizes walking as an excellent
   exercise and notes that the risks of cardiac disease and other
   serious ailments are significantly reduced when people make daily
   walks a part of their lifestyle.

   "America needs to get healthier one small step at a time," said
   Secretary Thompson in his address. "Each small step does make a
   difference, whether it's taking the stairs instead of an elevator
   or snacking on fruits and vegetables [instead of junk food]. The
   more small steps we can take, the further down the road we will be
   toward better health for ourselves and our families."

   -- Kirk Noonan, Today's Pentecostal Evangel
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