SO it's all over.

After a long campaign that was in turn anxious, elevating, contentious and exhilarating, Scotland remains by choice 55% - 45% as part of the United Kingdom.

But though I am no politician, I can see that the show is not over by a long shot.

In an era where political involvement has reduced so that election turnout is regarded as successful if it exceeds 50%, the Referendum saw huge percentages of voters coming forward. Some areas had strike rates of over 90.

In the run-up, more and more of us were debating, attending meetings, conversing about the issues on social media - there were 10,000,000 posts on Facebook.

The message is that the Scottish people remain available for action. If we see something important to get involved in, there is no-one more passionate and willing than a Scot.

If the population can be galvanised into political engagement, what is to stop us getting a grip on health and fitness?

We steadfastly remain the sick man of Europe, with obesity and heart diseases at epidemic levels. Indeed whilst Yes campaigners made great play of the alleged privatisation course in the English NHS, they had to be reminded that in Scotland the private sector is also being brought in , specifically in the shape of Weightwatchers to counsel obese patients.

I applaud the move.

Anything that can save heart attacks, diabetes and social deficit should be considered.

It would be great if we could all just stand alone and do the right thing every day, be a nation of high achievers who take care of our health and wealth, leaving the Government to do mundane chores and stay out of people's lives.

But the reality is that populations need to be led, supported, and often stopped in their tracks, for self-protection and general public wellbeing.

Employment laws, equality legislation, are only a few of the functions we delegate so that cruelty and exploitation don't occur unchecked.

Likewise with health, which is now a huge part of a nation's public expenditure.

And what do we spend the money on?

Hospitals, clinics, drugs, medical equipment, staff.

Thousands of staff.

All necessary as we are just now, but there's an old saying: prevention is better than cure. It's true in all areas of life and work, but seems distressingly slow to catch on in medicine.

There are some obvious ones - women go for smear tests and mammograms to watch out for cancers.

The smarter among us go for a twice-yearly dental check-up to avoid tooth decay.

So given that our country suffers so badly from illnesses such as heart disease and obesity, why don't we plough more resources into avoiding a descent into fat and early death?

Catch them early - kids need to be exercised and made to understand that diet is as crucial a matter for personal safety as looking both ways when crossing the road or not playing with matches.

I realise that governments and local authorities do understand the problem, and have initiatives to try to increase awareness of the risks.

There are community health professional and nurses who have these in their agenda, and work is being done to some extent to move the responsibility from health carers to patients.

But it is all too little, and for many people, too late.

Our society needs to take a hard look at itself and make some choices.

I am not suggesting that we have a cult of physical perfection, but we do need to make a priority of PE and sports at school - the old days when Saturday mornings were crammed full of football, rugby and other sports played by legions of schoolchildren and led by teachers and parents have disappeared.

I am well aware that the solutions do not lie solely with political leaders.

Parents ought to look out for the welfare of their children and indeed their own. Wider social pressures have influenced personal behaviour - the inescapable computer games and social media are as much a curse as a boon.

My children never had computer games, and both read books and went out to play and compete, and thankfully both are slim, fit and healthy.

There isn't room for a comprehensive thesis on why we have an obesity epidemic.

But a few things are clear. It is avoidable, it is curable, and it could be consigned to the dustbin of history.

Just as we all got together to discuss and decide on Independence, we need the same national public exercise on health.

Indeed it could be YES we will get back to a decent level of personal fitness, and NO we refuse to slouch on a sofa guzzling junk food.

That improvement could be for a generation - or indeed a lifetime.