CAVE CHOW

Reuters had an interesting article today detailing a study done via “wristwatches” on kids that tried to link sedentary behavior, i.e., not doing anything physical, to obesity.

This article opens with the inspirational line of  “Vigorous exercise may be an especially good way to keep kids lean, but sitting around, in and of itself, doesn’t appear to have a major role in making them fat”.  Oh really, thank you for sharing that with all of us.  Just what we needed.  This article then states obscure and boring things like “children should still be encouraged to limit their sedentary time” and “there is no clear-cut answer as to how much vigorous activity is optimal”.  Well that’s just GREAT.

Just the kind of mass-produced, tell me nothing, stupid article conjured up by a bunch of scientists and doctors in white coats who need to do something so they can say they actually did something to justify their salary.  Plus, if anything, it’s a hurtful article, due to the fact that it makes readers even more stupid and breeds a lack of confidence in some very simple truths.

“Vigorous Activity” should be an essential and almost forced part of EVERY child’s growing up and education, at least if we want them to live healthy lives and be able to succeed in this world.  Some compelling reasons to back  this up:

• Obesity and poor health are crutches that many people carry with them for their entire lives.  And that trends starts the minute they’re old enough to run.  Want to curse you’re kid for the rest of his/her life?  Let them sit around, eat frys and play X-box all day.  They’re on their way!
• Obesity may be the most noticeable effect of lack of excercise, but is not the worst.  The worst is mental.  Many people have forgotten how crucial physical activity is for developing the brain and mental aptitude.  And I don’t mean things like “it will make them better at math!”, or “it will make them less tired at school!”.  I am talking about things like learning how to work hard, learning how to deal with pain, learning endurance, learning to get back up after they fall, and being competitive.  Principles that everyone should learn in order to succeed.  Principles that have been largely forgotten in today’s world.
• On more of an immediate impact, unhealthy kids are going to cost a lot of money to treat their eventual medical issues, need a lot more coaching time to coax them through school, be lot less help around the house, and are going to suck any surrounding positive energy that exists right out of the air.

So yea, Reuters was right when they said “every 6.5 minutes a child spent doing vigorous activity like playing ball, bicycling, or running around outside was associated with a 1.32-centimeter reduction in waist size” but I think they’re missing the point.

Excercise for kids shouldn’t be an optional thing.  If  you’ve got kids, think very seriously about the type of person you want them to become when they’re grown up.

So, healthy, or un-healthy?
Cave Crew

Tagged: children exercise, endurance, learning through pain, mental fortitude, obese kids