I figured out why more Americans are obese than ever before:
1. The healthy prepackaged food at the grocery stores are SUPER expensive. While the cheapest food is often the one that is absolutely horrible for you.
2. Gym memberships are incredibly expensive. I mean it's almost ridiculous. I need a gym to build up a lot of strength that I lose during the summer by just riding and not lifting to maintain. My fault, I know.
3. In 1964 50% of American kids either rode or walked to school, and the obesity rate was 12%. However, in 2004 only 3% of kids commuted, and the obesity rate is 45%. Come on, things are getting a little ridiculous. My generation is pretty lazy, just look at us. Never the less, it is really the generation that comes after me that is in deeper. Kids are getting bigger everyday, and their parents waists are not getting any smaller.
I think this is why I love my job so much. I feel that I change the world by getting more people out on bikes, and that those people will get others and so on. One person can change the world. Even though my part is small, at least I'm trying. It seems like a lot of people have just given up.
6 comments:
I go back and forth on how I will raise my kids, once I have them. I don't remember having a lot of TV, but in my kid years, there wasn't a lot that was geared toward us. Just Saturday morning cartoons and Sesame Street. That was it. Then Nickelodean came about when I was older and cartoons were no longer cool. Of course I watched GI Joe and Transformers after school, but again, we're talking an hour or so. Other than that, I played outside or did homework.
Today, there's stuff for kids to watch 24/7 and the internet has plenty for kids to do. Sure your kid can get smarter if they watch and surf on the right stuff, but the same thing can happen if they read a book or get involved with group activities. I feel like I want to go retro when I start having kids by ditching the TV and internet. Cause if I have those things available, I'm gonna use them. And my kids will see that and want to do the same. So if we read as a family and get out and exercise and such, I think my kids would have a healthier life. But I came out ok, and I had TV, so I don't know. Sure you can have a TV/internet and just monitor what they watch and do, but if they don't have that stuff to begin with, will they really miss it? I guess I'll figure it out once i start having kids.
We had TV growing up, but my upbringing was a little different since I took care of my mom, so I came from a very sedentary lifestyle, but realized my mistakes when I came to college. However, it starts early, and it starts with the parents. Monkey see, monkey do.
couple of things here ...
1. Why are you buying prepackaged healthy food? That's an oxymoron if ever there was one. Get the fresh veggies, chop 'em up and go to it. There's so much you can do with one red pepper, one green pepper and a chunk of onion. Depending on adding meats or rice or tortillas -- many choices, all healthy. Unless you put, like, a pound of cheese on it.
2. Kids will use and take advantage of what you give them. If you give them 4 hours of TV a day, they'll gladly accept it. If you give them 30 minutes and then spend the next 90 with them outside or playing creatively, they'll take that, too. We hope to keep Jack's access to TV and internet at a minimum a long as possible. Computer time will be dependent upon what's actually being done. Learning about the computer? Go as long as you want. Just jacking around? Eh, maybe 30 minutes.
the prepackaged was more in line with boca burgers, meatless dogs... etc. We make our own salads and always buy fresh veggies. I needed to make that statement a little better.
ah, there you go. meatless 'meat' will be expensive until a ton of people buy it. I just get the leanest cuts and ground beef. More expensive, but cheaper than angioplasty.
Good points all around. The best thing about your job is that get to make people realize that exercise can actually be FUN on bikes vs. the monotony of time at the gym. Don't get me wrong, I do my ample amount of gym time (especially now that it is super duper cold, icy, and dark outside), and think that it has an important place in attaining and maintaining fitness. It is just that, due to marketing, many people equate misery at the gym as the only way to get exercise. Case in point, look at the contestants on the biggest loser, its too bad they didn't have bikes to ride around all day, but I guess that wouldn't be as fun as watching someone cry on a treadmill.
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