Last week, the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) announced that California’s obesity rates have nearly doubled in the last six years, costing the state an estimated $41 billion a year, and $1.7 billion in Sacramento alone. While the statistics are discouraging, several local organizations are working to change people’s eating and exercising habits through low-cost programs in the workplace. Today, close to 100 employers from throughout the region gathered for a free seminar... Lesley Lesley Miller comment-10977 2009-07-20T18:24:53Z 2009-07-20T18:24:53Z I completely agree. I ride to work at least 2-3 days a week (depending on the weather) and have found its faster, cheaper and better for me than a car or public transit. At this event, several employers talked about installing bike "garages" for their employees, and offering on-site showers to encourage people to bike. Lesley Miller 2009-07-20T18:24:53Z Pinelli comment-10918 2009-07-18T01:31:04Z 2009-07-18T01:31:04Z One of the most cost-effective and ecologically benevolent choices employees could make is to use a bicycle to get to work. Sacramento is flat! I ride every single day and eat every single thing I want and have an excellent BMI, an excellent mental outlook, and know I am one of the people making a choice to change our environment for the better. Habits are hard to change but they are just that--habits. As I ride along on these terrible air days, I see an average of 9 out of 10 cars containing ONE SINGLE occupant. If more employers would offer the proper facilities for employees to store bikes and provide showers/lockers, the whole equation would change. With the route cuts and fare hikes in Regional Transit, the ability to use pedal power must be emphasized. Until we each feel an individual responsibility to change, nothing will transform, including the abhorrent state of our air or the deplorable health of our bodies. Pinelli 2009-07-18T01:31:04Z