When it comes to being out of shape and in poor health, Bronx residents are at the top of the list. But as NY1's Dean Meminger explains in the following report, the borough president wants that to change.

Hamburgers, franks and soda are the average lunch for many people in the Bronx, even though they know eating these sorts of foods every day can lead to big stomachs and big rear ends.

“There are getting young people who are obese as well, so I know,” says one Bronx resident. “I have been struggling, and I know some young children who are struggling.”

That's why Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion is rolling out an initiative called "Fit Now."

“There are five killers lurking in our neighborhoods in the Bronx: asthma; diabetes; high blood pressure; obesity; and several forms of cancer,” Carrion said at a news conference Wednesday.

According to the city Department of Health, Bronx residents are in bad shape. Forty percent are overweight, 12 percent suffer with diabetes, and 6.7 percent have asthma. These are the highest rates in the city.

“I'm a diabetic, and if I had the education or my family had the education that was needed when I was younger, I’m quite sure I would be in much better health today,” said one Bronx man.

“I cannot eat fried foods the way I used to, or pig feet and potato salad and all that,” said a neighbor.

Carrion is calling on Bronx health clubs and gyms to reduce the price of memberships. He has also committed more than $1 million to Bronx hospitals for digital mammography machines, and says another $1 million will come next year for cardiology equipment.

Health and fitness experts say it may be a lot easier than you think it is to lose a little weight and get in better shape. They say there a few things you can do right away.

“The first thing is just to eat smaller amounts,” said the DOH’s Julie Balay. “Someone who drinks a 20-oz. bottle of soda everyday, by simply replacing that with water they might lose one-half pound a week and make no other changes in their lifestyle.”

It all sounds good to one man trying to lower his blood pressure by shedding a few pounds.

“I used to be a lot slimmer, but once my wife got pregnant she packed on the weight, I packed on the weight, and it got out of control,” he said.

He says he wants to live to see his daughter go to college, so he's happy with the concept of a fit and healthier borough.

- Dean Meminger