Dont blame the kids

Mo Farah -double Olympic gold medal winner- made a statement this week about how shocked he was to learn about the levels of childhood obesity in Britain and subsequently has chosen to spend more of his time encouraging kids to be more active in an effort to improve participation levels in sport.

I applaud Mo for making a stand for what he believes in and for taking the time out of his busy schedule to use his position of influence to good effect. However, I can't help feeling that we (not Mo, but society) are falling into the same old trap of shirking responsibility onto the next generation without really looking at ourselves first – as in the current generation.

This is by no means a slight on my generation…

• Convenience foods save time because we don’t have to cook but they are often packed full of processed carbohydrates, saturated fats and more calories than your body needs.

• Alcohol is a convenient way of switching off from troubles at work as it saves us from having to emotionally and mentally come to terms with the day’s events. However, it is full of calories and poisons that cause severe health problems if consumed habitually.

• TV –like alcohol- is another quick fix to switching off. We could be exercising our minds and imaginations by reading or writing, but it is much more convenient and less effort to switch the TV, play a computer game or browse the web.

If the government REALLY wants to encourage activity it should also focus REAL efforts on educating the current generation of parents on ways to be more effective in society so that they can find the time and mindset to build healthy habits and routines into their lifestyles. Or better still, our government could look at ways to re-shape society -with policy- so that it becomes easy for working adults to go out and play football or rugby with their mates, or go cycling or running with their loved ones, walk their dogs and play with their children. Employers have a big role to play here too – as private multi-nationals arguably have more influence on our livelihoods than governments do in this modern society of ours.


This modern society has many great facets and qualities that enhace our lives but it is equally important that we check -every now and then- to see if society still reflects and encourages the core values that make life worth living (another topic altogether!).

I would suggest that our 'stock check' on the state of society is well overdue and that ANY society that does not allow (let alone facilitate) its members the opportunity to maintain a healthy lifestyle is one that is destined for failure.

Before I get around to writing up these new blogs feel free to check out a sample of my diet and activities over the last 6 months. I have used myfitnesspal to track my nutrition (and exercise at a high level) and Garmin Connect for more specific activity logging. I have also been experimenting with a nike+ fuel band for the last month and logging my 'activeness' with their web tool.
Chancey

Is it really our nation’s children who are at fault for decreasing levels of activity and increasing levels of obesity amongst their generation? Let me answer that one for you. No.

The longer answer is this. Children are impressionable - this is the nature of being a child. In their innocence, children grow up observing their elders and discover the world through example as much as anything else. Parents play a pivotal role in a child's development - not just in what they tell them to do (or in some cases, make), but in the example, they set for them. Actions speak louder than words.

Is it really right that we focus our attention just on encouraging children to be more active when the child's parents are too busy eating too much, drinking too much and smoking themselves to death whilst watching X-factor, EastEnders and TOWIE?

It is an acknowledgement that -no matter the income group- most adult time is consumed by stressful working days and long commutes. We live in a globally competitive, 24 x 7 x 365 economy where the job market is international and employers have way more talent to choose from than they ever did before. The world is a very competitive place and with increased levels of competition comes increased levels of stress. Unemployment isn’t much fun either.

Whether we like it or not, most of us are a product of modern society –some to more degrees than others– and in our Society, we are bombarded with adverts for quick fix coping mechanisms, which eventually become habits for people (I discussed this in last weeks blog), for example:

Most of the products outlined above are associated with multi-billion pound industries with massive advertising and go-to-market budgets. Am I the only one who frowns every time a fast-food chain is announced as the sponsor of premium sports event? Meanwhile, while the profits from burgers and booze sore, JJB and Millets are going bust and the National Trust struggles to make the newspaper over the latest reality TV star’s new boob job.

Healthy and Active Parents = Healthy and Active Children. SIMPLE.

Our Media and Government need to stop loading our children with more problems and responsibility -the banking system has done a great job of that already- lets instead start by looking at ourselves to see what small changes we can make to improve our lifestyles. Keep making those changes and our children will notice!

I recently changed my lifestyle to be healthier –February this year to be precise. I have lost 37lbs since then and vastly improved my levels of activity and participation in a variety of sports. I am also much happier for it. I recently spent the weekend in the Brecon Beacons -climbing mountains- with friends and family and I genuinely can't think of anything that would have made me happier!

I plan to share my approach to making these changes in my next few blogs but as a caveat to this - I am not a health professional, nor do I have the relevant qualifications to be giving health advice. I am just a normal bloke caught in the rat race like everyone else who has found a few lifestyle changes that made me happier. 

Thanks for reading, 
Chancey