Approximately one in five Americans is grossly obese, smokes, drinks heavily or does not exercise, yet is convinced he or she is in excellent health, according to a national survey released by Oxford Health Plans, Inc.

"Denial is dangerous when it comes to your health -- it exacts a heavy toll down the road," said Dr. Alan Muney, chief medical officer and executive vice president at Oxford. "The incontrovertible route to good health is regular exercise, a balanced diet with minimal alcohol and caffeine consumption and no smoking."

The Oxford study of 1,450 employed adults found that nearly one in five workers has a skewed view of his or her behavior and the associated health risks. While believing they were in excellent health, those workers tend to be at least 25 pounds overweight (35 percent), smoke (31 percent), each day drink three or more glasses of alcohol (21 percent), and four or more cups of coffee or tea (29 percent) and never exercise (36 percent). Also, they are the least likely workers to eat a balanced breakfast (25 percent) but are among the most likely to eat fried foods (24 percent) and salt/sugary snacks (26 percent).

Employees who actually maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes frequent exercise and a good diet suffer the least amount of workplace stress and are the most motivated at work and useful on the job. They are the least likely to lose sleep over their jobs (10 percent) and least likely to miss personal or family activities due to work (13 percent).

The workers with the most bad habits who believe they are the healthiest say they sit at their desks the whole day (37 percent), take no breaks once they get to work (41 percent), and are most likely to lose sleep over work (18 percent). They are also most likely to feel that they are considered workaholics (28 percent).

Other sources: Oxford Health Plans, Inc.