America takes on the Challenge to Fight Obesity
Over a Million Americans Join Dr. Ian Smith’s 50 Million Pound Challenge to Take Action
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report has now confirmed that America is in a national obesity crisis. More than one out of three Americans is obese and it’s threatening America’s well-being, not only as individuals, but as a country.
Fortunately, America is a singularly resourceful and powerful nation when we join together and take a stand. More than 1.3 million people from all 50 states, including government officials, celebrities, and local leaders are already taking charge of their personal wellness by joining Dr. Ian Smith’s 50 Million Pound Challenge. The community-based movement is rapidly building momentum and rallying Americans to lose a collective 50 million pounds. This tremendous accomplishment will make an enormous dent in the nation’s healthcare crisis.
“America’s obesity epidemic requires a multi-faceted approach including individual motivation, accessible free resources, government support, and community involvement,” says Dr. Ian, founder and creator of The 50 Million Pound Challenge and NY Times bestselling author of The 4 Day Diet. “No single person can fight this alone; but with free tools and the motivation of each citizen in every town we can provide each other with a continuously growing support network that a million people have already found in The Challenge.”
In the current weak economy, many are trying to shed extra pounds, but when strapped for resources, their personal wellness efforts can become a low priority. The 50 Million Pound Challenge offers Americans the free accessible tools they need to combat obesity at 50MillionPounds.com. In addition, the Challenge provides a dependable support network for all those who participate. It’s a winning formula – and cities, churches, civic groups, friends, and families across America are teaming up to help reverse the epidemic of excess weight and turn it into a culture of healthier living.
Now Dr. Ian Smith is also teaming up with communities and leaders across the nation to host the first annual series of Walk Offs on September 12th. Sixteen mayors from leading cities nationwide including Houston, Phoenix and Philadelphia are hosting this The 50 Million Pound Challenge grassroots initiative to bring community intervention and support to life. Mayor White of Houston comments, “Houstonians have already begun the fight against diet-driven illnesses through personal initiative; and now with the alarming clarity of the report’s fiscal concerns, we have additional accountability to our communities to make a change toward a healthier lifestyle. I strongly encourage Houstonians to come out on September 12th to continue a journey to wellness.”
The 50 Million Pound Challenge invites everyone across the nation to join The Challenge Walk Off. Fellow citizens can sign up to host their own walks in their respective cities by logging onto 50MillionPounds.com. The first 50 teams with 50 team members to host a walk on September 12th will receive 50 free t-shirts featuring The Challenge logo.
Anyone can join The Challenge at 50millionpounds.com, the campaign’s online support community. The site tallies total pounds lost and offers participants free resources including a 30-day diet plan, online journal, personal weight and activity trackers, and Challenge teams to make fitness easier and more fun. Currently, more than 37,000 Challenge teams – which anyone can join or start their own – are helping their members lose 23 percent more weight than the overall campaign average. Already the site has helped more than 1.3 million people “Give up the pounds not the fight,” and shed a collective 4.6 million pounds. For more information on The 50 Million Pound Challenge Walk Offs please visit 50MillionPounds.com. The 50 Million Pound Challenge is sponsored by State Farm .
Dr. Ian Smith’s 50 Million Pound Challenge is a call-to-action for all Americans to come together and help people take control of their health by getting fit, losing excess weight and turning back the deadly toll of weight-related diseases that threaten nearly half of us. The Challenge, a campaign supported and endorsed by leaders across the community and national civic and health organizations, is sponsored by State Farm .
Source: The 50 Million Pound Challenge
Beverage Industry Fighting Childhood Obesity by Helping Children Balance Calories
Cutting calories in schools reinforces skills for a lifetime; discriminatory taxes just raise revenue
Childhood obesity is a serious issue that requires comprehensive and thoughtful solutions, but discriminatory taxes on soft drinks and other beverages are the wrong public policy for such a complex problem, said Susan Neely, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association.
As Washington leaders begin discussing ways to improve health care in America, the beverage industry believes they need to focus on solutions that work when it comes to reducing childhood obesity. Solutions like the successful national School Beverage Guidelines, which cut calories in schools and help reinforce with children the importance of balancing calories.
“Together as a society, we need to focus on the hard work of teaching our children how to balance calories consumed with calories burned and, by doing so, give them the skills to maintain a healthy weight throughout their lives,” Neely said today. “A tax won’t teach children these skills or have a lasting, meaningful impact on reducing childhood obesity.”
In May 2006, the beverage industry developed national School Beverage Guidelines with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association. The industry committed to changing the beverage mix in schools across America by removing full-calorie soft drinks, as well as capping calories and reducing portion sizes on other beverages and providing nutritious beverage options by the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year.
The beverage companies not only committed to a tough policy, but they are delivering results and exceeding their goals.
At the start of the current school year, nearly 80 percent of America’s schools under contract were in compliance with the School Beverage Guidelines – beating the agreed-upon goal of 75 percent after two years. And calories from beverages in schools have been cut by 58 percent during that time.
“America’s beverage industry stepped up years ago to cut calories in schools because we recognize the important need to address childhood obesity in a meaningful way,” Neely said. “Our school beverage guidelines contribute to children developing lifetime skills on balancing calories.”
Another benefit of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation program is its focus on the calories burned side of the equation – the need for more physical education in schools. Beverage companies have long supported programs that promote physical activity in addition to the Alliance effort.
“Soft drinks are a fun, refreshing beverage meant to be enjoyed. You can be a healthy person and enjoy soft drinks, as millions of Americans, including parents and their children, prove every day,” Neely said. “As we’ve seen in countless studies, the right formula is about calories in and calories out, not about added taxes.”
Neely said the School Beverage Guidelines provide an encouraging model for effective public policy development to address a complex social challenge. Through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and its partners, the non-profit sector came together with the private sector to forge a solution with real, measurable impact for our children.
“The School Beverage Guidelines are the right policy that strikes the right balance,” Neely said. “It’s why the guidelines have drawn strong support from parents, educators, doctors and nutritionists.”
Furthermore, the data simply doesn’t support singling out products like soft drinks as a unique contributor to obesity. The data shows soft drinks have declined annually since 2000 (an overall 9.6 percent decline from 2000-2008, according to Beverage Digest), while childhood and adult obesity rates have risen throughout the decade.
Neely said the beverage industry applauds President Obama and the Congress for seeking effective ways to prevent childhood obesity and other diseases by improving the health care system in America. She encourages the leaders to keep seeking the best ideas, not the most convenient.
“If we’re going to truly make an impact on childhood obesity, our leaders need to pursue more of these smart, common-sense solutions that work, rather than simply imposing regressive taxes and hoping for the best,” Neely said. “Taxes distract from meaningful solutions. People view government as over-reaching when it uses the tax code to tell them how to eat or feed their children. Taxes are just the wrong public policy for a complex problem like childhood obesity.”
The American Beverage Association is the trade association representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States.
Source: American Beverage Association
National Walk to Work Day is April 3
If you can’t walk to work, maybe you can walk at work instead.
Friday, April 3 is National Walk to Work Day. Endorsed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the sixth-annual event encourages Americans to turn their commute into an exercise opportunity.
The reason is clear: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20-74 more than doubled between 1980 and 2006, soaring from 15 percent to nearly 33 percent. Meanwhile, study after study indicates that moderate exercise for 30 minutes per day reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.
Participation guidelines for National Walk to Work Day couldn’t be more flexible. If walking to work is impractical, at least shun the elevator and walk up the stairs. If you take public transportation, get off a stop early and walk the rest of the way. And if your commute is too long to consider walking, simply pretend it’s National Walk to Lunch Day instead.
Here’s another idea, one that expands on the spirit of the national observance: Why not try walking at work, too? It’s now possible with the Walkstation, a combination treadmill and worksurface. Developed by Details, a Steelcase company, the Walkstation integrates an electric height-adjustable worksurface with a low-speed, commercial-grade treadmill exclusively engineered for Details.
The Walkstation enables office workers to stay active while chatting on the phone, sending e-mails, reading, and working on a computer. The device is most often used as a shared resource. Employers are apt to place them in common areas or conference rooms, where employees can take turns enjoying the benefits. The integrated treadmill operates within a limited range of one-half to two miles per hour, slow enough to allow users to focus on their work, yet fast enough to burn up to 100 calories per hour.
“The Walkstation isn’t intended to work up a sweat the way a gym workout can,” says Details President Bud Klipa. “The purpose is simply to increase movement while on the job and enjoy the health benefits that can result.”
The American Heart Association website, www.americanheart.org, offers a wonderful online support community for people to supplement their wellness commitments. It provides tips for helping reach fitness goals, as well as nutritional information, and information about their National Start! Walking day which is April 8.
For more information about the Walkstation or other Details products, visit www.details-worktools.com. Details is recognized by the American Heart Association as a Start! Fit-Friendly Company for promoting physical activity and health in the workplace.
Fast Facts:
- Obesity is rapidly becoming the number-one healthcare problem in North America, Europe and Asia.
- Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the Physical Activities Guidelines for Americans to help people understand how much exercise they should be getting. According to the guidelines, adults can gain substantial health benefits from two-and-a-half hours of moderate physical activity each week, while children benefit from an hour or more of physical activity each day.
- As recently reported by Reuters (“Will Americans put on recession pounds?” – Jan. 9, 2009), Americans may wind up gaining weight during the recession even if they spend less on food. Reason: Buying foods high in sugar, saturated fats and refined grains is an easy, if unhealthy, way to economize.
Details, a Steelcase company based in Grand Rapids, Mich., provides innovative worktool solutions compatible with most furniture systems. Details worktools are sold through a network of 450 dealers and are featured in 20 Steelcase showrooms throughout North America. For more information about Details, visit www.details-worktools.com.