Thin in the West

Remember those wiry and strong characters in Westerns? Tough, determined and thin. Conquering the elements under blue skies.

Fast forward to the West of today:  westerners are still conquering the elements--but it's now often through outdoor adventure rather than making a living off the land (although there's a fair amount of that as well).  And westerners are still relatively thin.  There's something in those blue skies, the fresh air and rugged landscape.  Check out the gold and blue West on this weight data map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The map shows the percentage of obese residents in each state.  The data shown in this map was collected through the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Colorado is the one state in the country for which less than 20% of the population is obese. For the rest of the Rocky Mountain West states - with the exception of Arizona -- less than 25% of their populations are obese.  Let's be clear: this data doesn't say Westerners are skinny.  In fact, Americans -- including westerners -- seem to be getting fatter by the minute.  

But the data does show that Westerners are relatively less fat than other Americans.  And I guess they should be at least a little proud of that.  Can we learn something from this regional diversity?  Is it about how Westerners eat? The altitude? The lifestyle? The access to outdoor activity?  I can buy any of those ideas.  But for now, I'm going to stick with my theory that it has at least something to do with the blue skies, fresh air and rugged landscape.