Obesity, especially in young people seems to be on the rise. According to CNN.com, more than 17 percent of young people between 12 and 19 years old were estimated to be obese through a study during 2003-2006. That number jumped from the low 5 percent that occurred in the late 1970s. Several factors play into the increase of obese adolescents and teens. A high intake of junk food along with little exercise, and very sedentary activities such as sitting in front of a television or computer only aid in the chances weight gain and health problems.
In this article, Charles D’Angelo and Staci Lambert-Westcott shared their stories of obesity. Charles was quite overweight when he was a teenager. He avoided any kind of interaction with other kids because he was scared of being made fun of. When he was 17 years old, Charles decided to get in shape and lose some weight. He decided to plan healthy meals along with weightlifting and gym workouts. Now at 23 years old, he sports a muscular body that is 160 pounds less than before. In the article, Charles states “I was just scared to death of being tested or compared. I don’t think we should measure people based on how many push-ups can you do, how many sit-ups can you do.” To help kids who are obese, Charles is a fitness trainer and works to come up with fun workouts for kids so that they will want to exercise. Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution are just a couple of the fun ways that kids can get out and exercise while having fun. Through exercise and fun, he hopes to help kids become healthier and boost their self-esteem levels as well.
Staci Lambert-Westcott began to exercise when she needed to manage her diabetes. After getting married and having children, Staci decided to take charge. She was able to gain confidence and felt comfortable exercising in public. She was even able to own a gym and provide fun options for women who wanted to work-out. According to the article, Staci explains “The classes were extremely popular because they were fun, and mom and daughter could come together. While mom was working out, daughter was working with a coach in the back.”
These new helpful, fun ways of exercising can help anyone with any type of skill and endurance levels. Exercising is extremely important, and keeping a healthy lifestyle is critical for anyone.
Do you think that the obesity statistics for children will rise? Could new, fun video games involving fitness show a new way for them to exercise?
I think when Wii Fit came out that it was a great idea! A lot of kids these days do spend way to much time in front of the TV or computer playing video games and if you can get them to be physical while doing their favorite activity it can only be a win-win situation. A lot more games that come out should be where you have to actually get up and more around to play instead of just sitting down for hours at a time and play. Having gyms that are friendly to children and actually encourage kids to come work out with their parents will help get the whole family motivated to live much healthier lifestyle and it is something the whole family could do together.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Wii Fit and other fun ways of exercising are a great way of getting children off the couch, I don't think they're the answer to the obesity problem among children in America. One thing I don't understand, though, is that when I was a child, I played outdoors a lot and didn't like to sit inside and watch TV or play video games all day. Is that really what kids do nowadays? Or is that teenagers without jobs and extracurricular activities? Don't kids like to play at the park or go swimming or build forts or go bike riding anymore? I think that children's diets are more the problem than a lack of exercise (assuming, of course, that they still participate in the activities I mentioned). Not only do parents not have time to cook decent healthy meals, school cafeteria food is awful. I watched a documentary about school cafeteria food and how much processed, fatty, fried foods are served. Some of the "cooks" at cafeterias just throw already made foods into a deep-fryer and call it good.
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