I ran across an article about the obesity problem in the US. Not news, you’re saying. This article does have some new viewpoints, however.

We need to take a long term view. One, we (as individuals) didn’t get fat overnight, and so we need to take a long term view toward our own weight. Two, we (as a society) need to push for public policies that will help not only adults, but children.

Our lifestyle needs to change. We drive everywhere, we don’t cook at home, instead we go to a drive-thru. Our jobs are sedentary and we don’t exercise. We need to make it more acceptable to walk, or ride a bike to work. We also need to make it easier. I live in Portland Oregon, which is one of the most bike friendly and bike accessible places in the US. One thing government did to push this mindset was to require any new buildings to plan and install bike racks. They also have a lot of bike lanes and all buses have bike racks. These are the kinds of things we need to push for from our governmental agencies.

To help the kids develop good habits, we need to push for more, not less, physical education in the schools. And better and healthier choices in the foods available at schools.

We don’t want our children to be the first generation to have a shorter lifespan than their parents did.

Barbara