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I Need Your Help With This….
Ok, so as most of you know I have been fortunate enough to have been asked to sit a national panel of people along with myself as the Australian Fitness Expert.
Anyway, to make the night run a bit smoother and not leave us totally out in the dark, they have been kind enough to send through an outline of a some of the questions and one of them has really stood out for me.
Most of our clients have kids of varying age and it is no NEWS FLASH that Australia is now the FATTEST country in the world…. and I was wondering if you could help me out before I sit on this panel on the weekend with a few answers to the great fat and weight loss debate??
Who’s role is it to turn the state of the nation around?? Is it up to the government, fitness trainers and clubs, the individual??
How can we help our kids? What can fitness trainers, clubs, Government do that could help this cause?
I would love to hear your feedback on this, and if I like it, it may even make national Television on the panel when I talk about this topic!!!
Scott Williams CEO, Managing Director
Succeed Personal Development
I think it’s parents who need help with this. As a teacher, the CRAP I see kids eating at lunch is a disgrace! Parents who continually buy their kids Playstations instead of soccer-balls… terrible.
Hi Scotty
As you know I feed kids everyday and the choices they make always reflect their size and their attitude. I know kids and adults that don’t drink water. I think that they need to keep sport up in school from primary school through high school. School need to make it fun by doing different things like bringing in trainers. Facilities in clubs and gyms could be made more available to kids so that they are confident using these facilities. Governments should make it affordable for all schools to be able to utilise local venues, trainers and clubs. The government should provide money for these facilites to be keep up to a decent standard. Also I think that school miss out on sport as there are not enough trained teachers.
Hi Chantelle,
Yes it seems to be a growing trend these days for kids to spend more time playing the computer games and less time outside..
Do you think the school system does enough for the kids??
Have a look at most the canteens and the lack of fitness sessions ran in schools these days?
Hey Lisa,
Yes you would see it first hand in the canteen and I know you work hard each day on healthier options within the school system, but at the end of the day if the kids want hot chips you still have to supply them…
It is something that gets ingrained in their minds I suppose over time with the visual bombardment from a variety of areas, like television, shops, signs, + perr pressure from fiends and parents.
I also agree that the school system doesn’t supply enough for the kids these days and this is an area that the goverment could look at to support a bit more. I believe subsidising trainers & businesses to go to the schools is an awesome idea.
Thank you very much for your points. It is good to get feedback from someone that sees it everday at school.
Scott
Hi Scott
This is a debate we have all the time! So I am sorry I am not a parent but I wanted to weigh in. I definitely think it is the individuals responsibility but when it comes to children the parents have to take some of the responsibility to teach them. Healthy parents = healthy kids and unfortunately the reverse is also true.
I definitely think more education in schools is also necessary especially in the area of cooking. Around 50% of the people around us (aged in their 20’s) have very limited or no cooking skills and rely on take away places (like McDonalds) at least 2 times a week (some more like seven!).
I think the Government needs to make it a focus in schools including cooking classes beyond grade 7 and compulsory PE for everyone. They also need to cut back the amount of take away stores or make healthy eating more affordable - when a salad sandwich is more than a Big Mac most people will pick the Big Mac.
You need to get the individual motivated to get up and exercise and that is a hard thing to do. I think gyms etc are very pricey and either need to be subsidised for certain groups.
R
Scott,
For me it is the parents of these children that need to be held accountable, they are the ones that should be educated that they are killing their kids, this is a form of neglect for the obese children.
They are the ones that buy the food, the computer games, the internet, the play-station etc. If parents say I can’t stop him/her from eating a particular type of food- STOP buying it, if there is a choice between a packet of chip and an apple -CHIPS win if there are no chips well the apple wins.
I feel too much responsibility is placed on others such as schools etc. Schools/teachers etc can play an important role by backing up what the children are learning from the parents.
Parents and children need the support of all the community, mostly they don’t even realise that there is a problem until as happens in the ACT there is a “Kindy” screening at the school and the children fall way out of the “normal” range- and referred to the ACT Health Nutritionists. these parents call in and are mortified that their children have been identified as being over weight, and when I worked in the intake unit for ACT Health they would ring and complain mainly that the nurse said my child is O/W??? Instead they could see a nutritionist for free if they took the referral seriously.
Sorry I could go on forever and I probably haven’t helped you at all.
I am very lucky my children are active and so far haven’t the potential to be on the heavier side.
Anyway bye for now have a great weekend
Thanks for those replys ladies,
I agree that the parents could do with some more education on this indeed. In saying that, for every parent that needs the education, there are many parents that actively work with their kids and keep them active and eating well etc.
My organisation in Succeed have been going into school system in the A.C.T for four years now, and of the main things I see compared to when I went to school was the fact it is no longer compulsory and the students don’t have to participate if they don’t wish… ( not going to help the problem at all is it?).
I also agree Ruth, that pricing of food is certainly not helping the cause at all. Why would you buy a chicken & salad wrap for $8.95 when you can get a Big Mac meal for around $5 (sorry don’t know the prices for Big Macs..)?
Thanks for all the comments, I will be sure to pitch this information tonight when I sit the national panel at the Fitness Awards.
I am very passionate about woring with the kids (and parents), and I am going to really start pushing the system hard when I return to the A.C.T and seek support, advice, help for the A.C.T Government.
I will keep you all posted….
Scott
Hi there, oh what a debate, and a very tricky one at that…hope you dont mind my 2c worth.
As a mother of 5 it is very difficult…we encourage health choices..do not buy sweet biscuits, chips, chocolate or any other processed snack that is readily available these days. We cook eat plenty fresh fruit and veg and meat, fish ect. our Children are given these foods and dont complain BUT it is very difficult at school. The older children are fine as they understand what they fuel their bodies with effects there wellbeing and lifestyles but the younger children do not quite get it yet…they GET the whole healthy eating thing but come home and say its not fair…we are the only kids that have to eat healthy..how come we can’t have…they do not get money to spend at school and their lunches are made everyday, fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt and sandwhich. I belive that ultimatly it is up to the parents BUT fresh fruit/veg and meat can be very expensive so the govt. could help by ?regulating the price increase the big shops put on such items??
The Kindy screening program sounds great BUT as you say people will always complain and then scream discrimination ect….
what to do??? money is the root of all evil…you can say stop the advertising of fast food, not sell these items ect BUT people will do what fits into their finacial budgets and what they have learnt from their parents…