Some Bullet Points From Today's Hearing On Childhood Obesity

[Mike 03]

These are some notes I took, for what they are worth (not very much, I know)

1. Two thirds of adults are obese or overweight as a result of many factors, like intense stress, fast food, poverty, not enough time to exercise, and possibly factors we don't even understand yet.

2. P.E., as a class in school, should not be an afterthought, but a financed and accepted class for every student, so they can learn that they can or might like to exercise. There are so many benefits connected to this idea. I think we should push it hard.

3. Obesity is so directly connected to health issues like high blood pressure, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, that prevention can not only save people great pain and expense, but curtail the nation's budget.

This is not a time to "blame" anyone, but just to find out how we can help ourselves to improve our health (me included). We could save ourselves a lot of money if we could even slightly improve our habits, I believe, and that is my goal for this year.

To me, the most important thing ever influenced me was having Physical Education in High School. That was the most important factor in animating me to like exercise later in life.

Sorry, forgot to give you the link to watch this hearing.

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/03/04/HP/A/30304/Senate+HELP+Cmte+Hearing+on+Childhood+Obesity.aspx

[unabelladonna]

1. phys ed

made me loathe any kind of exercise...and i was actually a good athlete. i remember getting notes and cutting class.
if you have phys ed you've got to make it interesting and fun. i like the idea of dance (but not girl/boy partnered).ballet, modern...even folk! i was always the last called because as a child i was very homely so you've got to address ways to make even the most mediocre students feel comfortable. to this day if i ever met the boy who made fun of me i'd kill him (not really)and he'd be amazed at how very pretty i became...truly an ugly duckling/swan story.