What's wrong with advocating people to eat better, exercise, loose weight, and overall live healthier lives? The way that the U.S. population is currently living they need MORE advertising for health foods and advocating exercise. The U.S. leads the world with the highest rates of obesity. I would think a nation like this NEEDS a health reform.

These other issues that you speak of such as children having "shooting sprees" and homicides are nothing but precisely what you stated, the media making you paranoid. The homicide rates have actually fell dramatically since the early to mid 1990s and have remained pretty stable. Even when the rates started to slightly rise in 1999/2000, they are still nowhere near the rate they were at during the early 1990s - approx 25,000 homicides during that period. (View stats at the U.S Dept of Justice http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/hmrt.htm)
In fact your odds of dying by a firearm assault are 1 in 314. Compare that to your odds of dying due to heart disease (which is the leading cause of death in the U.S.) being 1 in 5. Heart disease can and usually is onset due to a lack of good nutrition and/or lack of healthy living habits (exercise). The 3 major causes of death in the U.S. are 1. Heart Disease, 2. Cancer, & 3.Stroke. All of those are health related and out beat homicides. (Stats at the National Safety Council - http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds_dying.jpg)
I think your stress over you getting shot because a lady got shot in a parking lot is grossly exaggerated.

Your other issues with the economic state of the country which brings about stress and depression is something that can be treated by healthy eating and exercise. Well the stress and depression can be treated, not the economy (too bad). Studies have shown that exercising consistently can elevate mood quicker and last longer than anti-depressants (research studies cited at the bottom). Though these major improvements were usually for patients with mild to moderate depression, some severely depressed patients still had positive effects from consistent exercise. Eating healthy while depressed can also elevate your mood. Studies have also shown that eating junk food or fast food can actually cause or aggrivate depressive moods.

So which all that said, I think it would not only make sense to advocate more healthy eating and exercise but maybe there's a reason why you're losing your mind (*cought*you should eat better*cough*and exercise*cough*).

Research Studies:

(1) Blumenthal, J. A., Babyak, M. A., Moore, K. A., Craighead, W. E., Herman, S., Khatri, P., Waugh, R., Napolitano, M. A., forman, L. M., Appelbaum, M., Doraiswamy, P. M., Krishnan, K. R. (1999). Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression. Archieves of Internal Medicine, 159: 19, 2349-56.

(2) Dimeo, F., Bauer, M., Varahram, I., Proest, G., Halter, U. (2001). Benefits from aerobic exercise in patients with major depression: a pilot study. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 35(2), 114-7.

(3) Doyne, E. J., Chambless, D. L., Beutler, L. E. (1983). Aerobic exercise as a treatment for depression in women. Behavior Therapy, 14, 434-40.

(4) Freemont, J., Craighead, L. W., (1987). Aerobic exercise and cognitive therapy in the treatment of dysphoric moods. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 11, 241-51.

(5) Goldbery, L., Elliot, D. L., (2000). The Healing Power of Exercise: Your guide to Preventing and Treating Diabetes, Depression, Heart Disease, Highblood Pressure, Arthritis, and More. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

(6) Greist, J. H., Klein, M., H., Dischens, R. R., Faris, J., Gurman, A. S., Morgan, W. P. (1979). Running as a treatment for depression. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 20, 41-54.

(7) Hansen, C. J., Stevens, L. C., coast, J. R. (2000). Exercise duration and mood state: How much is enough to feel better? Health Psychology, 20(4), 267-75.

(8) Harris, D. V. (1987). Comparative effectiveness of running therapy in W. P. Morgan & S. E. Goldston (Eds.), Exercise and Mental Health (pp. 123-30). Washington, DC: Hemisphere.

(9) Hassmen, P. Koivula, N., Uutela, a. (2000). Physical exercise and psychological well-being: A population study in Finland. Preventive Medicine, 30(1), 17-25.

(10) Klein, M. H., Greist, J. H., Gurman, A. S., Neimeyer, R. A., Lesser, D. P., Bushnell, N. J., Smith, R. E. (1985). A comparative outcome study of group psychotherapy vs. exercise treatments for depression. International Journal of Mental Health, 13, 148-77.

(11) Lee, R. E., Goldberg, J. H., Sallis, J. F., Hickmann, S. A., Castro, C. M., Chen, A. H., (2001) A prospective analysis of the relationship between walking and mood in sedentary ethnic minority women. Women's Health, 32(4), 1-15.

(12) Martinsen, E. W., Medhus, A., Sandvik, L. (1985). Effects of aerobic exercise on depression: A controlled study. British Medical Journal, 291, 109.

(13) McCann, I. L., Holmes, D. S., (1984) Influence of aerobic exercise on depression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1142-47.

(14) Sime, W. E. (1987). Exercise in the prevention and treatment of depression. In W. P. Morgan & S. E. Goldston (Eds.), Exercise and Mental Health, (pp. 145-52). New York: Hemisphere.

(15) Toskovic, N. N. (2000) Alterations in selected measures of mood with a single bout of dynamic Taekwondo exercise in college-age students. Perception Motor Skills, 92 (3 pt. 2), 1031-8.

(16) Williamson, D., Dewey, A., Steinberg, H., (2001) Mood change through physical exercise in nine-to- ten-year-old children. Percept Motor Skills, 93(1), 311-6.