This week I feel as if I've bumped into crazy news article after crazy news article.

Here is some food for thought.  This eight year old boy weighs 200lbs.  That's a lot for being eight without a genetic disease.  It's sad, it's crazy, it makes me want to pull my hair out, it makes me want to yell at congress for calling pizza a vegetable, but most of all, it breaks my heart.  This poor kid.  He's eight.  He doesn't know any better.  What are his parents doing (or not doing)?

Here is part 2 of this crazy story.  Child protective services took this child from his parents.  Yes.  Obesity is now considered neglect.  Read on for details: 200lbs 8 Year Old, Washington Post 2011

So here is the question.  What is more tragic?  That an eight year old weighs 200lbs, which really is only partially his fault since he's so young, or that the government confiscated him?  Or is it a good thing that the child is now in foster care?  I'm not sure I can decide.

But one thing I'm sure of, is that I'm tired of hearing this:  “It’s not only the parents or the child,” he said. “Obesity is an epidemic in the United States. As a society we’re all responsible.”  No, Dr. Naim Alkhouri.  Every day I choose exactly what I feed myself - from a candy cane, to a cookie, to an extra serving of vegetables, or waiting thirty more minutes to make it to my next planned meal.  Each bite of food I take is a personal choice. 

Is society today saturated with obesity?  Yes.  Do they make video games to help you get in shape?  Yes.  There is offiically no excuse.  WE have the outdoors, the gym, AND video games to help us.  Plus a wealth of information about fitness and nutrition on websites, blogs, videos, and in magazines, books, etc. 

Why did we decide now to get fat?  And what was the tipping point that made Americans realize we've gone too far?  I'm not sure I know the answer, but I did love "Pandora's Seed" by Spencer Wells.  It shed some light on the issue, and I recommend it if you're interested in learning about food, obesity, and our human history.

Part two of this problem, on the total other end of the spectrum, is photoshop, and it's portrayal of women.  Hello, real Kim Kardashian: Photoshop... KK and others.

What does everybody think?  Is the nutrition of children the responsibility of the government (ruled by lobbies, even in school cafeterias), parents (who sometimes don't know what they're doing or can't afford nutritious foods), kids regardless of age, society... who?!  How do we fix this?  We really need to save our youngest generation.

Opinions?  Please share!

J

20 Weeks 'til BIKINI time!

Wahoo!  My man and I booked a cruise for the week of April 20 - yahoo!  I'm so excited.  We're going all places we've never been before - the Cayman Islands, Belize, Mexico, and a couple other stops.

Whereas I'm super excited about the trip, soaking up some rays after an awesome ski season, and spending times with my favorite person, I'm not too excited about wearing a bikini.  So, we're on the 20 week plan. 

Laugh as you will, I know it's a crazy long time to plan, but I have a reason.  I just started working, and I was working extremely long hours at first.  This totally threw me off my fitness routine.  This week I started my real hours, so it's time to get into a routine.  The bad news is that next week I start my second job (I know, I know) so I'll have to re-adjust my routine again.  So by the time I'm actually in a for real, season long routine will be mid December.  Great.

Hence the 20-week plan.  By the time I'm really in a routine I will be four months out, and I think that's a reasonable amount of time to expect to get in shape.  The plan is to get into the rhythm of exercising for four weeks.  Then, January 20, three months out, I'll start the LiveFit Program by Jamie Eason.  She is a baller and I believe in the science (and picture results) of her program. 

Her program includes comprehensive workouts and nutrition advice.  Check it out at Jamie Eason's Live Fit Program!

In one sentence:  I CAN'T WAIT!  Watch out, because this transformation is going to be awesome.

I took some before pictures, and as I take more I'll start posting them. 

What are your fitness goals?!  Post some favorites here!

PS - Does anybody want to do this with me??

Fired over a McDonald's Tweet? So much to catch up on, so little time!

The past few days have been crazy and fun, full of awesome cooking adventure (including pumpkin spice pancakes, an at home orange chicken, and a turkey taco mixture thing) - wahoo!  But more on that later.

A good friend of mine, who also happens to be a personal trainer, posted an interesting article on her Facebook page.  Apparently, an incredibly popular fitness instructor at a gigantic mega-gym got fired over a tweet.  And guess what that tweet was about?  An open McDonalds bag on the desk of a gym employee at Lifetime Fitness in Rockville, Maryland.

A of all - really?  Come on gym employee.  McDonalds?  My first response: not appropriate.

B of all - really?  Lifetime Fitness?  You fired this guy over a tweet when he is challenging people to change their lives, and teaches an apparently really fun spin class to over 60 individuals a week, and your regular employees are eating McDonalds?  Who do you think is actually fulfilling your company mission statement?

C of all - read Grant Hill's response.  He has an awesome argument about gyms, their structure, and how their built on failure.  It's totally true.  But how do you overcome this business model?  What can you do to bring fitness BACK to people?  How do you bring education on food back to people?  I mean honestly, the US Government reconstructed the food pyramid this year, and it makes no sense.  So what's the solution?  PE in schools?

Read on and check it out.

Occupy Lifetime - Grant Hill

Let me know what you think!

J