It might be easy or even convenient to believe that Americans are a lazy lot, unmotivated even to engage in rudimentary exercise and modest improvements in dietary habits, so we can live healthier, more productive lives, because that's what the world seems to think.

It's quite likely many of us believe the same line - that, as a whole, our rampant success as a nation has made us too complacent, too comfortable and too content, which explains why our bellies are ballooning and our derrieres are widening.

Some experts say our lifestyles are definitely contributing to an overall decline in the nation's collective health, but not because we're lazy. In fact, they say we're far too busy for our own good, and because of that, we've adopted some pretty bad habits.

As our lives have gotten busier, our eating habits have suffered (hence the rise in availability and consumption of fast food). Our personal lives have suffered (hence the dramatic rise in the national divorce rate). Our children's lives have suffered (hence the rise in juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, teen pregnancy and high-school drop-out rates).