Obesity Wave

[Daniel Sullivan]

Because now you have to attempt to change the parent as well. it is great that the parent has focused on the child obesity issue, but if they still contiue to feed them trash food and do not set a good example of a healthy lifestyle, there is only so much we as instructors can do.

The hard part is that it isn't just 'trash foods' that people need to look out for. If you eat organic whole wheat pasta instead of Kraft, drink fruit juice, and eat whole wheat bread instead of white bread, you're still taking in a lot of carbs and sugar, even though the quality of the food may be quite good. A lot of the problem that I see in people's diets is the overabundance of carbs and the comparative lack of protein.

 

[Archtkd]

Eating healthy is very costly to each person. Mac n cheese is cheap, potatos are cheap fatty foods are cheap. frsh veggies and how end meats are costly, so eighty percent of the population cannot afford to eat right. Sometime the only healthy food they get is from school lunches so it is not a easy task to take on by just anyone.

That is the sad irony. There's real scarcity of affordable, fresh food. Markets in which one could buy fresh, local farm food, especially veggies and meat are often located in places that are difficult for many people to get to.

 

[miguksaram]

Well I will say one more thing here about obesity, sometimes it is a medical condition and not laziness. I work hard everyday to be the best I can be and I am obese to say the least, I own my school and train my students along side my family and blackbelts.

True...perhaps I should have clarified that I am speaking about obesity due to poor diet or no exercise, or both. There are other reasons for some of the kids to be obese. My son, when he was 13, was very chubby He was about 5'5" and weighed almost 160. He exercised and had a healthy diet, consisting of mostly Korean food and did not eat a lot of junk food. However, within a three month time span he shot up 6" and lost 14 pounds. Now at age 15 he is 6'1" and weighs 145 lbs. So not every chubby kid is unhealthy and there are medical reasons for their situation in some cases.

 

[Archtkd]

Interesting you mention that. I have a friend that teaches TKD in another part of New England and that has been one of her concerns. She used to teach at a university after deciding to go back to school herself and finish her degree.. She was talking with one of her students who was overweight and fiercely struggling with weight loss. Her solution (other than encouraging the student to attend class) was to eat lunch with the student a few days per week in the college cafe, hoping that the company would encourage healthier meal selection and provide a distraction from the temptations that weren't as healthy. The idea worked out so well that she had nearly half the class joining her for lunch three days a week, and from what I have gathered, everyone progressed towards their goal. The key, in her opinion, was the fellowship and support and not just do-this-do-that.

This is really a good idea for one who has the time and convenient setting.

 

[d1jinx]

Well I will say one more thing here about obesity, sometimes it is a medical condition and not laziness. I work hard everyday to be the best I can be and I am obese to say the least, I own my school and train my students along side my family and blackbelts. Beside exorcise they need to understand how to eat and what to eat, sadly to say our country make sure the poor eat fatty foods simply because that is the cheapest thing to eat. Eating healthy is very costly to each person. Mac n cheese is cheap, potatos are cheap fatty foods are cheap. frsh veggies and how end meats are costly, so eighty percent of the population cannot afford to eat right. Sometime the only healthy food they get is from school lunches so it is not a easy task to take on by just anyone.

terry, i am myself guilty of jumping to this impression. I spoke about first impressions in a previous thread long ago and how I made an incorrecct impression/judgement by judging an instructor(GM) who was overweight many years ago. This is completely inline with what you say. I lost a year without him, because I judged him based on his physical appearance and not his teaching abilities. I learned a valuable lesson there at my expense. But this happens alot and I myself have done so. I judged the instructor based on appearance instead of ability. I later found out that he was retired Special Forces and had injured his back in service. Years later the injury has impeaded his ability to work out let alone function normaly in life. Permanent injury and medications had forged the physique he currently has and cannot shed. I was wrong to prejudge. I do understand now that this is a possibility and sometimes it shows if you give the oppurtunity. but sometimes it is without cause too.

While I agree with what is being said about Instructors should look and fit the part, I also understand that it isnt always possible and that doesn't change ther ability. Age plays into the perception.

 

[JWLuiza]

Weight and health are very complicated. I'm in my 4th year of medical school and still struggling on figuring out how to educate my patients. But to keep it simple: ignore BMI. Pay attention to the waste line. For men get into the low 30s. Work out a bit every day. 30 min daily is better than 3 hours once a week. Cook more at home. Decrease your intake of processed foods and non whole grains. Get support. Have fun. Move. Celebrate the small success. I offer up myself if anyone would like to discuss nutrition from a medical perspective. Personally, I do a high good-fat, protein, low grain (high veggie/fruit) diet. Med school got me up to 250 at 6'7". I'm now 210, running, training, lifting, and on fitocracy. The best data we have right now suggest the specific diet doesn't matter, so find something that works for you.

 

[JWLuiza]

One of my instructors, who shall remain nameless, knows his weight is an issue. I'm very proud of him for starting to work out again using weights. I don't judge him on his size, I just hope he stays healthy so our master-student relationship gets to age like a fine-wine. Mmmm. Wine.

 

[Archtkd]

Well I will say one more thing here about obesity, sometimes it is a medical condition and not laziness. I work hard everyday to be the best I can be and I am obese to say the least, I own my school and train my students along side my family and blackbelts. Beside exorcise they need to understand how to eat and what to eat, sadly to say our country make sure the poor eat fatty foods simply because that is the cheapest thing to eat. Eating healthy is very costly to each person. Mac n cheese is cheap, potatos are cheap fatty foods are cheap. frsh veggies and how end meats are costly, so eighty percent of the population cannot afford to eat right. Sometime the only healthy food they get is from school lunches so it is not a easy task to take on by just anyone.

NPR's Morning Edition had this very interesting story today, about how to find healthy food for a good price. The story, based on solid analysis of FDA data, shows healthy food is not always more expensive than junk as we so often think:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/16/152823181/how-to-make-healthy-eating-easier-on-the-wallet-change-the-calculation?ft=1&f=152823181

 

[Master Dan]

Weight and health are very complicated. I'm in my 4th year of medical school and still struggling on figuring out how to educate my patients. But to keep it simple: ignore BMI. Pay attention to the waste line. For men get into the low 30s. Work out a bit every day. 30 min daily is better than 3 hours once a week. Cook more at home. Decrease your intake of processed foods and non whole grains. Get support. Have fun. Move. Celebrate the small success. I offer up myself if anyone would like to discuss nutrition from a medical perspective. Personally, I do a high good-fat, protein, low grain (high veggie/fruit) diet. Med school got me up to 250 at 6'7". I'm now 210, running, training, lifting, and on fitocracy. The best data we have right now suggest the specific diet doesn't matter, so find something that works for you.

I would like to hear more from you on people who have arthritist in both knees and hips not allowing them to do cardio actions sometimes even low impact machines that require staying on feet. Having some good luck with incline bike machines. Blood work important trying lowering acid and other levels no Caffeine more natural foods. I am disapointed to see some on this thread taking the position that only a beautiful certain body type can teach or have an effect on motivating obese people to train. Emotionally children 6-12 don't care what the trainer looks like its thier caring attention and abilty to demonstrate what they need to do. The depression caused in advertising media and the believe that a person must look a certain way or they are a looser is only made worse by instruction by an over zelous or uneducated instructor working with older or obese stuents. You cannot mix elite athletes with impaired or overweight students this usually results in injury or strain and thier progress is unstable leading them to go home and eat more?

People need to be taught the first goal is how to feel better increase your abilty to do more for the young and the old by eating better and exercise for health not to become the vision of anothers opinion or what we were 20-30 years ago.

I would like your specific thoughts on people who are taking Artho Life, 1000 mg of MSM, 20 MG Omeprazole, 10 mg Amiodipine, 10 mg Lisinopril, 25 mgHydrochiorothizid, 40 mg Lipitor Atorvastatin and on top of this had thier Gallbladder removed.

I have children as young as 6 -12 years of age with BP of 147/97 when we can we get commitmens to stop all pop and sugar drinks, candy, chips and increase fruit and vegitables but for some processed foods are a real problem?

We have also found eliminating foods with food dyes Red and Yellow #2 has effected ADHD in as little as two weeks. They force children to go on Riddlin in some school districts here or they will refuse to have them as a student some children even halucinate on the stuff. We have had good luck with training and diet but if they don't have parents or gaurdians to support this impossible.

Thanks for your pose

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I am disapointed to see some on this thread taking the position that only a beautiful certain body type can teach or have an effect on motivating obese people to train. Emotionally children 6-12 don't care what the trainer looks like its thier caring attention and abilty to demonstrate what they need to do.

That actually isn't what people are saying. What has been said is that if you are going to advertise weight loss as part of your program, it definitely helps if the instructors look fit.

Someone also said that the best motivation for students is to lead from the front of the class. If the instructor is up in front doing the warmups and actively participating rather than just calling out exercises, it does have a motivating factor.

Once actual class starts, the instructor needs to be less of a participant and more of an instructor, which makes it imperative for the instructor to jealously guard his or her own personal training time. I think that allowing one's personal training time to be stolen away is one (though not all) of the reasons that some instructors end up losing their own level of fitness.

An overweight or obese instructor can certainly be motivating for the class; that has more to do with the quality of the instructor than it does with his or her level of fitness. An enthusiastic instructor who demonstrates techniques with power and precision, even if he or she cannot kick as high or move as fast, is a great motivator.

On the other hand, if the instructor looks lifeless, performing techniques without any power and showing little or no enthusiasm in the class, it really doesn't matter how beautiful they are.

 

[JWLuiza]

Arthritis in both knees can be a doozy. However, an elevated HR is an elevated HR. BJJ, swimming, other out-of-the-box style workouts are good. I believe in very short high intensity training, but I also believe in acknowledging where you are. I was 40lbs heavier two years ago running 11 min miles. It took some time but I'm in the mid 8's now and 210. Celebrate the small successes, have long term and short term goals. Have you seen that yoga-inspired youtube video about the wounded paratrooper? It's an amazing video looking at the before and after. What's more amazing is how long it really did take and he stuck to it.

 

[d1jinx]

I dont think i would have been able to concentrate if i had a beautiful instructor when i was 15. ...:fanboy: I def know concentration would have been an issue too...

yeah a beautiful instructor would be a bad idea. (female of course)

 

[miguksaram]

I dont think i would have been able to concentrate if i had a beautiful instructor when i was 15. ...:fanboy: I def know concentration would have been an issue too...

yeah a beautiful instructor would be a bad idea.

Hey! We are not a bad idea at all...don't hate us because we are beautiful.

 

[d1jinx]

Hey! We are not a bad idea at all...don't hate us because we are beautiful.

sorry.... wrong plumbing. I was referring to indoor...:angel:

 

[Archtkd]

I dont think i would have been able to concentrate if i had a beautiful instructor when i was 15. ...:fanboy: I def know concentration would have been an issue too...

yeah a beautiful instructor would be a bad idea. (female of course)

Quite the contrary sir. There's a reason the Israeli Defense Forces uses lots of female drill instructors. Nothing will push an 18-year old male harder than a beautiful DI, who the male thinks he can impress.

 

[JWLuiza]

.....maybe "harder" was a poor choice of words.

 

[d1jinx]

.....maybe "harder" was a poor choice of words.

+1

:s478:

 

[Archtkd]

.....maybe "harder" was a poor choice of words.

Agree. Probably better motivate is the what I really wanted to say --