A healthier life: It can start today.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

COLUMBIA, S.C. _ No need to wait for New Year's Day. The path to a healthier, more productive life can begin today, if you're willing to work for it.

A proper diet, exercise and health routine are key to a fulfilling lifestyle, local medical experts say. And there's no time like the present to get started.

Since the 1970s, female obesity in America has risen more than a fourth, to a rate of 36 percent, according to statistics from the Office on Women's Health through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The obesity rate is particularly high among African-American and Hispanic women, at 52 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

The …