National program aims to fight childhood obesity ? Fierce ...

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, so this article by Jake Steinfeld (best known as the creator of Body by Jake, a line of fitness equipment and a syndicated TV show, and chairman of the National Foundation for Governors? Fitness Councils) is particularly appropriate. He has a ?fitness program? that he set up in California (has anyone heard of it?) and it supposedly reduced childhood obesity rates over the course of seven years.

Fighting obesity isn?t easy, and it will take a lot of helping hands to get, and keep, us on the right track. Parents, health-care providers, organizations, educators and others are key to making a positive impact in the health of our children.

In fact, all of these groups were instrumental in supporting my efforts to launch a fitness campaign in California that grew in 2011 to 1.4 million students, who all took part in a monthlong fitness challenge. Over the course of seven years, we saw a decrease in childhood obesity rates in California, and as a beneficial side effect, schools that participated in the campaign witnessed increased academic scores!

You notice, Jake doesn?t cite any numbers here ? no percentage on the decrease in childhood obesity, nor any percentage of increased academic scores. If it was so successful, why does he not quote numbers to back up his claims?

The ?California project? had such a positive impact on the health of kids that I decided to expand the program nationwide. We created the National Foundation for Governors? Fitness Councils, which is a multimillion-dollar physical fitness campaign. This newly launched program seeks to encourage and reward innovation in the field of youth fitness by awarding state-of-the-art fitness centers to schools that use new and unique methods to promote student physical activity and wellness.

Making this campaign even greater is the fact that it doesn?t rely on taxpayers or state funding. It?s fully funded through a public/private sector partnership with companies such as Coca-Cola. This year alone, we will be putting fitness centers in schools throughout Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts.

Does anyone else see the irony of having private sector sponsors like Coca-Cola funding a program to end childhood obesity by awarding state-of-the-art fitness centers to schools?

The National Foundation for Governors? Fitness Councils program will roll out in Georgia within the next year, and will eventually include all 50 states. Our goal is to have fitness centers in every elementary and middle school in the United States, enabling us to help build a nation that, through innovation and a ?don?t quit? attitude, boasts the fittest and healthiest kids in the world.

Here we go with the state of Georgia again. What is it about Georgia and the kids there that these do-gooders think they have to butt in and change them? Children?s Healthcare of Atlanta wasn?t doing enough damage? Now this guy has to run in and put his two cents? worth in too?

I don?t have anything against giving schools state-of-the-art fitness centers, but exactly how are those school systems going to pay for staffing those centers when most schools can?t even afford to pay their teachers a living wage? When they can?t even afford class sizes where kids get the attention they need in order to learn? When they can?t even afford to keep art and music classes for kids?

This goes for schools in every state, and the schools that can afford those fitness centers are the ones who least need them ? schools in affluent neighborhoods, towns, and cities, whose students come from privileged families and have all the extracurricular activities that poor schools and families just can?t afford.

As the nation recognizes September as National Childhood Obesity Month, we can celebrate knowing that we are tackling this issue head-on and that the more people we get on board, the greater success we will have in making childhood obesity a thing of the past.

We know that physical activity and exercise can help prevent and treat more than 40 chronic diseases; enhance individual health and quality of life; and reduce health-care costs. And studies have shown that physical activity improves academic achievement; increases confidence and self-esteem; and reduces discipline problems.

I hate to tell him, but just because he gets kids more active doesn?t mean they?re going to get thinner. Even if kids eat healthy and exercise, even if their health might improve, that doesn?t mean they?ll lose weight (some might, some might not). And expecting to make childhood obesity a thing of the past, well, that?s an unrealistic goal. There have always been fat kids and, until someone figures out how to get rid of all the genes that contribute to a person being fat, there will always be fat kids and adults.

I?m not so sure that physical activity and exercise can help prevent and treat more than 40 chronic diseases ? it may delay the onset, it may lessen the severity, but ?prevent and treat? seems a bit strong to me. I will agree that physical activity and exercise can enhance health and quality of life, and may even reduce health care costs. As for the ?studies have shown that physical activity improves academic achievement; increases confidence and self-esteem; and reduces discipline problems,? why isn?t he citing his sources?

I could see this as being a good thing for schools, if there was also funding for staff tied to the centers and the centers were for all schools. Weight loss is not something that should be tied to the physical activity and exercise either. It should be physical activity and exercise for movement?s sake, for the fun of it, not to meet some arbitrary weight loss goal. Because how many kids are going to keep on with the activity and exercise when they don?t lose weight or meet whatever goal is set for them? Rather, this approach negates the point of the fitness centers, don?t you think?

Source: http://fiercefatties.com/2012/09/04/national-program-aims-to-fight-childhood-obesity/

nba playoff schedule rondo morris claiborne mothers day gifts clippers lisa lampanelli lisa lampanelli