The last time you went into a McDonald's or a Burger King or the local pizzaria, did you take time to look around at the people you were sharing the room with?
If you're anything like me you probably didn't look until you heard a poorly behaved child screaming from the outdoor slide, or until some kid behind you at the soda fountain tipped his drink over and spilled it on the floor. Maybe you didn't look around until you noticed that cute guy or girl checkin you out. If that's not enough to get you to pay attention...maybe this is.
Childhood obesity is becoming a wide spread issue that affects everyone. Before i get too deep into this...i'm not saying that you should become a vegetarian or never look at pack of cookies with the desire to eat them. We, as an American people,just need to make better decisions in the food that we voluntarily decide to put into our bodies. OBESITY AMONG CHILDREN AGES 2-5 HAS DOUBLED IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. That's pre-school and kindergarden children who are already embarking on a life long struggle and don't know it yet. If you are an adult reading this...get your child, or your child's best friend, or the kids you babysit to try and develop a healthy lifestyle.
McDonlads and Wendys and Burger King have done a better job about contributing to the solution rather than the the problem by adding alternatives to the kids menu. Apples instead of fries. Milk instead of soda. Chicken nuggets instead of a burger. Children look up to the adults in their lives and if they see YOU eating healthy, naturally thats what they will want to do.
Enough about the younger children. Lets talk about kids like you and me. Your lab partner on frog day in biology or the lethargic teenager in your gym class who doesnt want to play dodgeball or maybe the bully who took your lunch money from you all through middle school. Starting to sound a little personal? Good. It just makes the situations and scenarios all the more real to think that maybe my friend is a statistic.
ADOLESENT OBESITY HAS DOUBLED IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. Well hey...i just read that about the little kids. Yeah you did but does anyone know why? It could be that cities are designed for you to commute rather than walk. It could be that we are way to into technology and cant detach ourselves from our laptops, computers, ipods, cellphones,or PDAs long enough to go play catch with our little brothers or park across the parking lot (instead of trying to find one 50 feet outside of your favorite department store then faking a handicap to save yourself some steps). Maybe im wrong but it could even be beacause we just dont feel like it sometimes. Raise your hand if you have ever felt that way? Even though you are behind a computer screen and no one can see you...you can still raise your hand. Shoot. I raised mine.
We're livig in a system that is ultimately designed for us to fail but we can beat those odds if we decide to work together. Try to get your friends to eat better at school...even if its mystery meat day. Im sure you can find something to eat in the vending machines that doesnt have 700 grams of sugar and twice as much fat. Try a poptart or some baked potato chips. If you can see ( or smell ) the fat in something...my best bet is thats its probably not good for your body.
Slam those brakes for a second, because I almost forgot the athletes. You know the type. The football player that you know as "Bubba" or "Bruiser" or the wrestler at your school nicknamed "Bone Crusher". How many of you know somoone like that? ( its ok to raise your hand again) Some may argue that they dont have to be quote "in shape" because of the sport that they play. Wrong. You can be the biggest toughest dude out there and not be able to run the ball for 10 yards without getting winded. You can be IN SHAPE and still weigh 220 pounds. Its a fun thing called muscle.
The point that I'm tryin to make...for those of you who are still with me...is that to some there are problems bigger than who's gonna win a presidential election that hasn't taken place yet, or whether or not the family that moved up the street from you has a gay son. This is the kind of thing that affects everyone. Obesity doesnt discriminate. it doesnt care if youre black, white, hispanic, asian, indian, greeen, yellow, gay, straight, man, woman, boy, girl, young, or old...
JUST MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS YOU CAN WHILE YOU CAN. YOURE THE ONE WHO HAS TO LIVE WITH YOUR BODY...=]
