It is just over a week since the greatest show on earth left London town with the promise of inspiration, perspiration and a fitter nation. Well, if the British kid I witnessed in an airport in Spain when returning to Luton at the weekend is anything to go by then it will take more than a 'MoBot' to sort this out. Picture 'Pub Landlord' aged ten with a full tray of pasties and fries in front of him. I was totally transfixed, how on earth could a kid get to become so fat, so young. Yes, it is the parents but they alone cannot be held responsible.
There are of course a multitude of influences at work here. Rather than moan and go on about the state of the food industry and the inept efforts of the happy clappy fitness industry, I have to offer a solution. Now, if you take your mind back to the 'Mobot' after his epic 5000m final, he turned to the camera and apart from plugging his foundation, which was terribly sweet and a brilliant illustration of how young Mo totally under estimates his power. He faced the great British public and said 'anything is possible, it's just hard work and grafting '. Exactly. The nail on the head has been hit. Time to challenge a generation or two.
The fat kid in the airport is a victim of a generation of pathetic messages from the fitness industry and ridiculous legislation in schools that has delivered marshmallow kids who do not exercise and donut parents who do not see the need. The solution is very simple; every kid should do PROGRESSIVE EXERCISE three times per week. Competitive sport should be in all schools with inter school sports delivering the next generation of gold medal winners.
More importantly, key life preservation skills such as cooking, exercise and work / life balance should be taught in schools to all our kids. All parents should be encouraged to take part too. I wont go as far as a to suggest a whole school weigh in 'Biggest Loser ' style, but at some point we have to go through a little discomfort to change and be bold enough to tell it how it is. Parents and kids alike need to follow a formula and philosophy that allows them to integrate positive change into their lives. What is more, all professionals in influential positions need to lead by example.
This formula will be easily accessible, affordable and one that creates a positive community. The thing I loved about the Olympics is that every news channel lead with a positive news story and this added to the amazing energy of the two weeks.
For the record, I have written to the Boris Johnson's office with such a solution solution born out of 17 years of understanding how people change and stay changed. Let's see if they bite, there is no reason why not.
Follow Steve Halsall on Twitter: www.twitter.com/myfitnessguru
Your attitude is not right, your analogy of these children you saw is horrifyiing. Jumped up and egotistical you sound to me, maybe its the way that you write or maybe its just the way you are.
My childhood was one of home cooked meals. I loved sport, training at 0430 & 1630 six days a week because I swam competitively. My kids who are now in their twenties ate fresh home cooked meals, led full active childhoods with computer games taking a secondary role to outside activities.
My grandaughter who is 3 will ask for bananas or grapes before she'll ask for a sweet, she drinks water and pure fruit juice, hates squash.
I believe you learn what you live with.
Tackling todays problems won't come to fruition for years if we do it right. I am with you on exercise and healthy eating. Not having competitive sports in many junior schools is one of my biggest bugbears, it breeds drive, ambition and confidence, which are all important.
Society does add to this epidemic though.
Kids cannot play safely anymore in a lot of areas. Both parents are often working ridiculous hours to make ends meet and we now have more latch key kids than ever. Food shops rarely have anything healthy on offer most of it is junk and shockingly often aimed at lunchboxes etc.
I think the solution lies at home but how you go about that is beyond me.
While I understand lifestyles between Jamaican and Britain differ, I think there is no motivation from the society to get children fitter from an early age.
As one person said on this page, parents must prioritise in what we feed our children, regardless of levels of income. When my children were very young, I had a budget of £20 weekly for years. I would buy fruit / vegetable and cook from scratch EVERY DAY. For example, buying one dozen oranges for £1 was most effective, because I squeezed them, added a few spoons of sugar and water, then bottled it instead of buying fizzy drinks. I also boiled tap water overnight and bottled for the refridgerator, so children drank a certain amount of water each day.
Parents and schools need to start leading our children in what is good for them. A few hours of exercise per week never harms anyone.
However, my real issue is with this "anything is possible, it's just hard work and grafting", because if the author were fully versed in the subject he talks about, he would be unequivocally aware that this actually isn't necessarily true. He would have also mentioned that sometimes there underlying health issues which affect many people (and children too), and instead of body-shaming everyone with his incredibly small-minded and incredibly uninformed opinion he would have written something which doesn't sound Orwellian and controlling as this ridiculous proposal.
When it comes to food, sport and exercise more people have to be aware that what works for them doesn't necessarily work for everyone else. And more people would be better off if they remembered that.
Even if we don't weigh them in (we're not *that* cruel) we can always make them do more of something at which they have no skill or enjoyment than the things they're good at.
That's sure to make them want to change - not develop anorexia or commit suicide in despair.
Parents are encouraged to think that they're doing the right thing keeping their children shut up indoors, but the sad fact is that obesity is going to kill far more children than strangers will.
I think Steve is right though, if kids learn to enjoy sport at school, they will be more inclined to play outside of school too.