No pun intended. I've been browsing through the health articles on the news and, as I suspected, obesity is being linked to many things. I've found that obesity rises faster in poorer teens, weight gain is associated with not enough sleep, and being overweight raises breast cancer risk. At least 3 out of 5 articles on the health section had something to do with obesity.
I do come from a family where nearly everyone is obese. And it's mostly due to poor diet and lack of exercsize. I'm not surprised to find that obesity is rising faster among poorer teens. While the article reports that it is rising among the rich as well, gyms cost money and as do healthier foods at the grocery store. Poorer teens may have more family troubles which addes to stress and inability to sleep. Or, poorer teens may be uneducated about how to live healthy. That, I believe, is my family's biggest problem. We're not rich by any means. I wouldn't be surprised if my mother and I were the only ones out of the three generations alive to visit a gym regularly or eat whole wheat and the right amount of vegetables. I don't believe my family really wants to be obese, I just think they don't have the education to know why they should eat healthier.
Sure we learn the pyramid in school, but we don't really have hardcore nutrition classes until college. I'm probably the first in generations in my family to go to a university. Poorer teens are probably less likely to know anything about health, diet, and fitness.
I think a collective effort should be made to get kids of the TV, computer, video console, and junk food and back into good foods and playing outside. That, I think, should begin in school. They should teach nutrition, because it's an important lesson we shouldn't have to wait until college to learn. Even if kids try to find a reason to get out PE class, they'll know why eating all the twinkies they're eating will destroy their bodies.
I totally agree, more outside activities and learning about nutrition in school should take place!
Everyone, regardless of economic level, deserves the right to education and resources to improve their health and fitness levels (many other areas as well, but I'll stick to the health and fitness here). I've created an in-school, age appropriate health and fitness program which I piloted in some schools in London, England. I'm now living back in the U.S. and am launching my program here this year. I'm actively looking for sponsors who would want to bring it into schools that otherwise couldn't afford it. My goal is to make this a global program with people all over the world certified to bring it into schools. I have the passion and the product, but am actively searcing for sponsors who are as dedicated to the future of our children to help make this a reality. Feel free to contact me at michele@iwillbehealhty.com for any information on this. Let's provide the tools to schools, parents and our children to ensure we all have successful futures full of great health and tons of fun!
I agree, what we really need is more athletics in the schools and community where everyone has a chance to play, and its not all about winning even through high school.
Yea, at my school we only have gym once or twice a week. That's not nearly enough. And in those gym classes, most students barely ever work up a sweat.
I hate gym and I do not think it should be used as a way to make kids lose weight. I am underweight for my height so why should I have to run 10 laps to make Jimmy Fatboy lose weight? It is not fair. I exercise on my own time.
Good point. But on the same token, some teachers go over certain lessons at length or twice because some people don't get it. The smart kids could easily say, "Why should we have to go over this again just so Jimmy Stupidboy can understand it?".
Sometimes, it's not about what's most beneficial to you, but what's helpful for everyone. I doubt running 10 laps will kill you, and if it will I'm sure you can get a doctors note or a parents note.
If you hate it... well, tough. I'm sure a lot of adults hate going to work or hate paying taxes. Sometimes you have to do stuff you hate. That's life.
It does not help that to be able to go to a health club you have to be 18. Or what about those small cities with nothing to do?
It's true that the only thing to help is diet and exercise but society makes it harder for people to do that.
It is also acceptable now to live far away so driving is your only option.
-Kristen
Yeah, that's true. My relatives live in the middle of nowhere and there's probably not a gym around for hours.
But you CAN get a good workout running. So a gym isn't always required.
I understand and agree to an extent with what all of you are saying. Instead of pandering to small special-interest groups and focusing so much of their efforts on "lifestyle" and sex education, schools really should be devoting more of their resources to good science and nutrition education, which will truly benefit all students for the rest of their lives. Instead of cutting sports programs and PE when money gets tight, they should look for other options first.
But schools can only do so much. A lot of the responsibility for good nutrition and exercise habits starts with the parents. If they don't model good behavior, chances are their kids won't fall far from the tree. And though I agree sometimes the expense of a gym can pose a problem, everyone can go jog around their block from time to time. Or, if they don't live in a safe neighborhood, take a bus or drive to a park and jog around that instead. Get a group of buddies together and make it fun--you'll be safer and fitter at the same time.
Finances can be an obstacle to fitness, but they don't have to be. On the other hand, look at all the lazy rich people who sit around and don't do anything! Obesity actually is a disease of affluence--it's almost unheard of in less-developed countries.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to willpower and self-discipline. Accept no excuses--and take no prisoners. Just get out there and do it, because no one else can do it for you.
While I agree that our nutritional and fitness education in schools is dismal, I disagree that sex education needs to be taken away from.
Teenagers who are out practicing sex of any kinds, learn hardly ANYTHING about protection. Yeah, they learn about condoms and birth control (maybe), but do they learn how to put them on (I never did)? And what about dental dams and finger cots? I doubt that any teenager knows about those. And they encourage spermacide which actually damages the uteran wall making STDs EASIER to get because of it. These kids are learning sex education from an anti-pregancy point of view, which is all well and good, but this education doesn't keep them safe from STDs. We need to realize that teens ARE out their having sex. We can approach it from a sex-postive manner. Give them the facts about their bodies. Hell, teach masturbation as a form of abstinence. It's better than this lackluster sex ed we're getting today. It's shamefull.
And, after all, sex is exercize. :P Sure, we don't entirely want them out doing it, but that's mostly because they DON'T understand everything. So here's an idea, PROTECT them and help them. Give them the facts. If they make mistakes, that's life. But at least if they had all the knowledge they'd be able to protect themselves better.
Obesity is linked to a lot of things, but it isn't necessarily a cause to these things. Some other factor, for example poor diet, could be the cause of both obesity and type II diabetes. It's such a complex thing to sort out...
Just having experience with exercise and healthy eating in school isn't enough.
The most that many people can do (but, sadly, don't do) is the following:
Get involved in community sports: coach, referree, volunteer, whatever
Be an example: programs like Big Brothers and Sisters lets you have a direct impact on a child's life
Request that your stores carry foods without the especially bad substances like trans fats
Volunteer at elementary schools and lend a helping hand - when young kids learn a healthy way of life, they are more apt to stick with it
Oh well... I'm going to be a Big Sister as soon as I get into college, and I'm also going to be a Girl Scout troop leader (yay, little girls!). I think that everyone has a duty to keep the children in their area healthy and happy.
It is a huge problem, which is sad. America is lazy, protion sizes are WAY too big, exercise is decreasing, fast food sales are increasing, people are in a hurry, so they don't feel like cooking a goold old home cooked meals, etc.
Not to mention the increasing costs of health food. It's cheaper to eat shit. Figures.
I had an awesome health class in high school, and I just always thought that since it was a required course all health classes were the same. Apparently not, though.
In our health class, we had to keep a journal of what we ate and analyze what nutrients we got from that every day. It really taught us how to build a better diet, watch what we are eating, and for me made me look at what nutrients I really needed.
Now there is a web site that people can use to do this same thing that we had to do by hand. http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov
Perhaps all health classes should use this web site, since they have computers in schools now it should be easy.
Regarding P.E. classes, I had one every day and I was in sports, so I know I got plenty of exercise. However, people will only get out of that what they put into it. I knew plenty of people who never joined a sports team or even participated in P.E. Class, while there were others that weren't on sports teams but would go after school to run or use the weight room.
As far as money and poor teens, I believe that there is some merit to the stress levels and lack of sleep, but not about gyms. If someone wants to lose weight caused by poor eating habits and exercise, a gym is not a necessity. I think many of those people use that as an excuse. There are plenty of ways to exercise without going to a gym. If you are able to go to a gym, then I think that's great, but it's not a requirement to lose weight.
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"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/user/fanaile-drupal-org
I think the problem with some schools not being able to implement the program directly stems from funded schools, which is why rich kids are less likely to be obese.
Schools get their money from income tax. So the higher the incomes around the school, the more money the school gets. And the more money the school gets, the more resources and good teachers it can afford to hire.
Schools are also usually a state-run thing and different states have different curriculum/PE requirements. So not all kids in America get the exact same education because of funding and because of curriculum differences.
It sort of sucks. :( Which is why our public education is pretty bad.
Well I went to a public school that was going through things like budget cuts and every thing else, just like many other schools were then and are now.
If Bush wants this no Child Left Behind thing to work, why doesn't he come up with a plan to fund it so no child *will* be left behind?
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"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
http://www.progressiveu.org/user/fanaile-drupal-org
Wow, that's impressive. Maybe it all just comes down to who's elected into the superintendent's office? Or some type of election on the school board? I don't think the federal gov't has control of the curriculum, which is why the No Child Left Behind act is a little wonky. I think, correct me if I'm wrong, it sets standards for what a kid should know but doesn't set how to improve it because curriculums are different from state to state. A little weird, I must say.