Blame it on the
Olympics. I can't eat (that's not really true); I can't sleep
... until I see that every last figure skating pair landed
their triple toe loops and Scott Hamilton has reminded me that
"She nailed it!"And this is from someone who didn't
even own a television until this week.
These winter games inspire me. I am
motivated by the hard work and perseverance exhibited by these
young athletes. Am I inspired enough to get off the couch and
start bench pressing two hours a day? Hardly. But I am
reminded that "nothing ventured is nothing gained."
Good timing, then, for the recent
announcement of an ambitious White House initiative to help
solve the epidemic of childhood obesity in this country. It's
aptly called, "Let's Move!" and calls for children
of ALL ages to get out there and get 60 minutes of active and
vigorous play every day. (Vigorous play, by the way, involves
continuous movement of legs and upper arms ... watch the
Olympics for specific examples.)
What's the big deal? Since 1980, the rate of
obesity in American children has doubled. And the rate of
overweight teenagers in this country has tripled. One-third of
the children born in this country in the year 2000 or later
will develop diabetes sometime in their lifetime, according to
current statistics. That's a huge — and largely preventable
— burden on our health care system, said First Lady Michelle
Obama, who announced this new project. Besides physical
activity, here are other ways we can compete against this
threat:
Make healthier food choices at home. Push
past the Cheetos and cut up an apple instead. Smear on some
peanut butter. You nailed it!
Have healthier food in schools. Schools are
now being challenged to improve the quality of school foods
and provide education to help kids understand how that green
stuff on their plate helps their body run faster and jump
higher.
Accessible and affordable healthy food.
Neighborhoods with convenient grocery stores can offer healthy
competition to fast food outlets.
Meet our required elements. We become what
we practice. One cup of vegetables a day, then two. You can do
it!
Stay focused. Let's not think about the
landings we missed. Let's aim at getting through the mountain
of moguls ahead as we race to the finish line.
Aim for our personal best. Maybe we set out
to do a triple toe and double it instead. That's OK. One day
we will stand on the podium and smile for our efforts.
Go for the gold. Let's Move! has one
important goal: to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity
within a generation. To paraphrase what Henry Ford said,
Whether we think we can, or think we can't, we're right.
