Too Fat to Fight

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

With a colonoscopy on the books for tomorrow, I elected to take it easy. I’d been on a liquid diet all day – not something I really like – and I had to start drinking that foul tasting Mirilax stuff, which was mixed into 64 ounces of Gatoraide, right after whatever I did. Not the greatest way to re-hydrate.

I did a short hike down into the marsh with my camera and binoculars and spent some time trying to spot my eagle…or anything else that flew, walked or swam past my perch. I climbed a tree and sat quietly for 20 minutes before descending and moving to a spot further out in the marsh. Both sites were less than successful for eagle spotting, but outstanding for peace and serenity.

Good opportunity to prepare for crapping my brains out and having a camera rammed up my butt.

I returned home to begin drinking my crapping concoction. I grabbed the paper and read a story in the Plain Dealer “Ex-generals call obesity national security issue”. Apparently, 130 retired generals and admirals have banded together to call for an end to junk food in American schools. This was inspired by an alarming statistic – 9 million 17 to 24 year-olds are too fat to serve in the military.

The military officers are part of a nonpartisan, non-profit group, Mission: Readiness, which released a report called “Too Fat to Fight”. The report included the data above and some other alarming facts about how fat we are and fit we aren’t.

Is anyone surprised? I have no problem with the conclusions, but somehow think that putting it on the schools will never be the answer.

First, we’re only in public school from ages 5 to 18 and only for 180 days of the year. If we assume that only one meal a day is typically eaten in school and that three meals a day are consumed, only 16% of our nutritional needs are met while in school. That 16% goes even lower when you factor in how many kids pack their lunches from home (mine always did). In other words, though it would be wonderful if the schools had nothing but nutritional food in their vending machines and cafeteria lines, it places a distant second to the real source of good (or bad), nutritional food – their homes.

I don’t have the stats handy, but I also know that schools are getting blamed for a lack of physical education requirements. Academics are squeezing out any opportunity to burn some calories during the school day. To a certain degree, the same issue applies here. One of the best reads I’ve had on the subject is Richard Louv’s “Last Child in the Woods”. He describes the real issue, which is that kids don’t get out to play anymore – for a myriad of reasons: indoor pursuits, parents’ fears, neighborhood restraints (can’t build a tree fort?), no open woods, and so on. If kids aren’t burning up calories outside of school, they’re never going to make up the difference in a gym class three times a week.

The issue is huge. Obesity and a lack of physical conditioning is a real dilemma. Better nutrition and more activity is the cure.

As they say in the workplace though – “who owns that problem?” I assure you – if we leave it to the schools, we’ll fail. They can help, but the buck stops at the doorstep…

Hike duration: 30 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 70

Calories burned during workout: 200.