Yet more news on how America is getting fatter and fatter:

Study: Major increase in morbidly obese

We can blame all of this on our sedentary lifestyles, our fattening foods, and our 50 zillion cable channels. There's another culprit here, however: Fitness snobbery.

I used to be one of those people who looked down upon the jocks of the world. I lived in that classic "Revenge of the Nerds" dichotomy where jocks were stupid people, and I, as the artistic and "smart" one, didn't need to be running around doing physical things.

This was made worse by the fact that I was always chosen last for every single team in school. I was simply an uncoordinated kid.

My time spent on disability changed all that. I wanted to run free! I wanted to experience my body!

Being able to be physically active after being bedridden was like being freed from jail. Since then, I love physical activity. I love the way my body feels after I work out. I love how, even through the pain of tough work-outs, I can set my monkey mind free and just experience the moment.

Exercise to me is a meditation, and a celebration of this wonderful body-machine that houses my mind and soul.

Far too many people, however, shun exercise like it is the worst thing to ever happen to them. The problem then becomes worse and worse, because the less you exercise, the tougher it is and the worst you will feel while doing it.

People who are suffering from obesity, unfortunately, are missing out on one of the greatest joys of life - the freedom of a fit body.

A very close friend of mine is obese. She is a year older than I am but has diabetes and many major health issues. Here's the problem though. When I hear her talk about exercise, she makes it sound like anyone who practices it is just a shallow moron.

A man that she knows has a girlfriend who goes to the gym every day. My friend sneers at this girlfriend...what a twit she must be to be "wasting" all her time at the gym.

Certainly, I do not advocate worshipping the body to the point that we forget the spirit. But if you truly believe that only shallow nitwits go to the gym regularly, you'll be hard-pressed to make the effort yourself, as much as you need it.

People's bodies work best with exercise. If we can all finally agree on that fact and stop making exercise a dirty word, we might make a dent in our obesity epidemic. If not, we'll continue to see an increase in preventable health issues. And that's too bad.