Hooray for Child Obesity

I found this article on Digg talking about childhood obesity and how the rates are enormous these days. The article says that there is actually some hope.. the numbers have plateaued, which is good but it's not great. It's good because that means rates have not risen for the first time since this whole epidemic has come to be. It's not great though, because it means rates haven't fallen, and that's what we want to happen.

I don't really want to talk more about child obesity, as it's not exactly a happy-time conversation, but I have one opposition to what they had to say in the article.

"And perhaps most important, teachers, mentors and public role models are fighting it as they help kids navigate a culture that fosters fat but idealizes thin and as they teach them that what truly counts is getting themselves as fit as their body type and genes allow—and then loving that body no matter what."

Don't we already idealize a thin culture? I mean, you don't see people picking up magazines plastered with fatties in bakinis. You don't see anything but beautiful, thin, and sometimes half plastic. Aren't these images purely idealistic? Don't hundreds of thousands of teenage-girls force themselves to become bulemic/anorexic because of these idealistic images? Not to mention, everything revolves around "appearing" pretty and thin.. I just find it completely back-assward to promote ideal thinness when it has been promoted since Hugh Heffner made his first Playboy. We shouldn't promote the specific image of "thin," rather we should promote a lifestayle that is healthy. If you are healthy, you are going to be thin as a result. You may not be skinny, per se, but you will be thin. You may not have bulging muscles and abs you could grate cheese on, but you will be lean and healthy.

I think this is another example of how the human mentality works.. We only pay attention to the extreme sides of the spectrum and believe that if something isn't this way, it HAS to be that way. But I understand how hard it is to live completely in the middle of the spectrum, because then you would be impartial to all things and that's just boring. As far as this whole obesity thing goes, we think that since 70% of Americans are fat, we have to reverse everything to make everyone thin. Here, our continuum is:

FAT<-------------------->SKINNY

We either have to be fat, or we have to be skinny. It's never good enough for us to be slightly pudgy, or just in the middle. "We're fat? Oh Let's be skinny!" No, let's get healthy first. Healthy is not just a good report from your doctor, it's a lifestyle you need to maintain. And it's not something that can be issued overnight. You have to work at it and not subscribe to these lousy hollywood diets. Know that it takes 15-20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain when you're full, so eat slower. Put down the fork between bites. Eat with someone else so you can talk and delay your next bite. Just changing your over-all eating behavior can make a huge difference. And if you want to lose a certain amount of weight, be realistic. Don't say you're going to lose 20lbs in a week because that's just not realistic. Smaller goals are much easier and a lot healthier for your body and mind.

Hollistic healing/medicine is also a great way to become healthier. It forces you to stay in-tune with your body's health. When something hurts or just doesn't feel right, take that as a sign to do something about it. You know that you won't go to the doctor for a sore throat until your voice is gone and you can barely talk, but it could have been prevented. Don't ignore your symptoms, or you'll be spending a lot more on medical bills than you ever wanted to. That is what herbal supplements are for. Getting sick? take a Vitamin-C pill in the morning when you wake up, and before you go to be. Each pill has about 1000% the daily recommended value, so one is really enough. But you want to kick your immune system into high-gear to flush out this cold, so trust me-- it works. Also-- drink lots of echinacea tea with honey, because echinacea is good for immunity support, and honey has been proven to cure basic cold/flu symptoms better than over-the-counter drugs. Get plenty of sleep and if you smoke, just give it up for a couple days. If you drink, just give it up for a couple days. Take care of yourself. Your frivolities will be there right when you pick them back up.

peace and healthy living