No More Excuses

I’m sure you’ve heard all of the reasons people give for being overweight: I have a thyroid problem, it’s my glands, I have big bones, it’s genetic. Well, now there are no more excuses (except the obvious ones of little exercise and poor diet). A new study found that “vigorous physical activity can help even people genetically prone to obesity keep the weight off.” The study found that those who had an obesity-related gene called FTO, but were very physically active, weighed about the same as others who did not carry the gene.

This doesn’t mean you now have the right to call your members liars or slackers, but it does give you more scientific evidence to back those claims you’ve been making for years: No matter what your genes say, exercise can and does help people keep their weight down.

Keep in mind that if your members really do have a medical condition that makes it difficult for them to keep the weight off, they will need to exercise more than the average person to do so. So, while some of your members may be lying about their “medical condition” in order to explain their weight, those who really have a medical condition will need a well-planned program, and lots of motivation, to help them reach their goals.

Child's Play

With the Centers for Disease Control estimating that between six and 19 percent of children are overweight, and an additional 15 percent at risk for becoming obese, I think we need to ask ourselves: What can the fitness industry really do to make a difference?

I guess the first thing we have to understand is, “What is the problem?” Why are so many kids fat? Of course, discussion about this has been going on for years; the biggest culprits appear to be junk food, entertainment options that cause kids to sit for hours and hours, and school funds cuts, which have resulted in the elimination of physical education programs.

It’s been a while, but I do remember being a kid. My friends and I had junk food and ate it, albeit our junk was more in the form of sugar rather than in fat; in fact, our almost daily outing after school was to the local drugstore to purchase our favorite candy, and then proceed to eat it -- all. And, at meals, our parents made us eat everything on our plates. As for entertainment, we didn’t have all of the options that kids have now, but we did have music and television, and even “back then,” those were distractions from being outdoors with our friends -- or, in other words, being active. And those P.E. programs? They were no incentive to exercise at all. Almost every kid I knew hated P.E.; it was punishment. Yet, still, the percentage of children back then who were obese comes nowhere close to what that percentage is today.

So, why are kids so fat today? Well, many say that kids just don’t partake in as much of the good, old-fashioned fun that children used to crave. The kind that happens after school and on weekends when kids and their friends get together and roughhouse, grab the bikes and head to another friend’s to get a pick-up game together, or head down to the river, lake or beach to check out the scene. It’s not that these options don’t exist anymore. I still see kids in my neighborhood outside riding their skateboards, chasing each other around, playing basketball, etc. It’s just that, I believe, there seems to be a different perception of what is “fun.” The newer entertainment options have made good, old-fashioned fun seem sort of “hum-drum.”

The question is whether the new facilities geared specifically toward kids’ fitness that are springing up across the country are what this population needs to stave off the obesity crisis. The facilities I am talking about include those such as Volt Fitness and Intelligent Sports’ Youth Fitness Centers.

Volt Fitness is a new video arcade/gym concept in Glen Rock, N.J., which was created by a pediatrician and former fitness director, and combines circuit training machines with video games. They’re marketing the concept to pre-teens and teens who pay $10 to $15 an hour to “work up a sweat while playing video games that require them to ride an exercise bike, work out on a rowing machine or engage in a simulated boxing match.” The idea, apparently, is “to get the kids moving so that they will have a change in mind-set -- a paradigm shift in how they view exercise.”

Intelligent Sports’ Youth Fitness Centers in Upland, Calif., provides youth and family fitness equipment and programs “to allow kids to grow athletically and intellectually, and to fight childhood obesity.” The facilities, which are membership-based, are designed for kids and include exercise equipment that is interactive with several popular video game titles from PlayStation and Xbox.

Interesting concept for a whole new type of fitness facility market, but is it just a new business model that will attract only active youth? Or, could it succeed in having an effect on the child obesity epidemic?

Obesity: A Matter of National Security

We all know that obesity in the U.S. is contributing to a host of medical problems and rising healthcare costs. However, what most fitness professionals don’t realize is that obesity can also affect our nation’s security.

Speaking at a press conference at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona warned that America’s obesity epidemic is a national security problem, as the more than 9 million overweight and obese children in the country threaten to shrink the pool of eligible service men and women. Carmona said that obesity “undermines the strength of our nation.”

The rapidly growing population of overweight, obese and physically unfit children is starting to affect the military, Carmona said. Obesity is one of the most common reasons service men and women cannot fully perform their duties. Carmona called obesity “the terror within.”

These are strong words, but they shouldn’t stop there. If obesity is affecting the military, it must also be affecting the police, emergency medical personnel, firefighters and the many first responders that every community relies on. People may be sick of hearing about the “obesity epidemic,” but it could very well affect you directly if you need medical assistance in the future and you don’t get it in time because your community lacks enough qualified people to fill those jobs.

Currently, we can see what effect the shortage of military personnel is having on our troops in the Middle East (i.e., repeat tours of duty). Imagine, then, what the future military will look like if it is stretched even thinner because young men and women are too overweight to qualify for service.

The list of problems associated with obesity goes on and on. And, the longer we let it go on, the worse things will become. The problem with overweight children may currently be a problem for their parents and healthcare professionals, but it will soon become a problem for everyone.

It’s Not My (Weight) Problem

This is the week of New Year’s resolutions. Hoards of people who want to lose weight will join a fitness center, determined to achieve their weight-loss goals. The problem is, these people are only a fraction of those who really need to make that New Year’s resolution. Because most people who need to lose weight refuse to believe they are overweight; they are in denial. The tragedy about this is it’s not just adults who are in denial about their own weight; these adults are also in denial about their children’s weight — a problem that is destined to cause a ripple effect among generations to come, exacerbating the U.S. obesity epidemic.

What can fitness professionals do about this? Well, one can only help those who are willing to help themselves, right? But, perhaps more individuals would be willing if we had more segments of society making sure that these people own up to the fact that they are, indeed, overweight.

According to a recent study by the National Consumers League (NCL) reported on by Medical News Today, there is a “startling disconnect between the way people perceive their weight, and their actual weight category based on the body mass index.” The NCL study of 1,978 U.S. adults reports that “52 percent of respondents referred to themselves as overweight, and only 12 percent as obese, severely obese or morbidly obese. But, based on actual BMI calculations using self-reported height and weight information among the 96 percent of respondents, … 35 percent are actually overweight, whereas 34 percent are actually obese, severely obese or morbidly obese. Among respondents who are obese according to BMI, 82 percent consider themselves to be simply overweight.”

Another survey reported on by MSNBC on December 24, found that many people in the U.S. whose children are obese do not see them that way. The survey of 2,060 adults, which collected children’s height and weight from their parents and then used that to calculate BMI, found that, among parents with an obese, or extremely overweight, child ages six to 11, 43 percent said their child was “about the right weight,” 37 percent responded “slightly overweight” and 13 percent said “very overweight.” Yet, based on what the parents reported, 15 percent of the children ages six to 11, and 10 percent of the children ages 12 to 17, were obese.

Unfortunately, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while there are an estimated 66 percent of U.S. adults who are overweight (33 percent) or obese (33 percent), the Medical News Today article reports that the NCL study showed that only 12 percent of U.S. adults say they have ever been told by a doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional that they are obese. In addition, it points out that individuals’ denial about their weight may also be a result of the social stigma associated with being obese: “Most U.S. adults (61 percent) report … that obesity is considered taboo in society today, and half attribute the condition to a ‘lack of will power.’” Parents’ lack of forthrightness about their kids’ weight can also be attributed to this problem. “Because of the social stigma, it’s not something that parents are willing to admit to readily,” says Dr. Goutham Rao, clinical director of the Weight Management and Wellness Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

While the social stigma associated with obesity is clearly an issue, this cannot be made an excuse to ignore the problem. It’s one thing to hurt ourselves, but to hurt our children, too?

As an industry, we can be a part of helping these individuals. By understanding the denial about weight, perhaps fitness professionals can implement some awareness programs alongside the New Year’s resolutions programs planned this year. Even a marketing campaign discussing this trend of denial and how fitness facilities can help — no stigma attached — might help bring some of those who really need to make a New Year’s resolution into your facility this year.

Are Trends on Track?

Each year in November and December, organizations begin to publish their trends and predictions for the new year. This year is no exception, and, most recently, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) released its 20 upcoming fitness trends for fitness professionals to prepare for 2008. Where did these trends come from? ACSM surveyed health and fitness professionals around the world, and received nearly 500 responses. These fitness experts identified the leading trends that occurred in 2007 in commercial, corporate, clinical and community fitness programs, which will set the stage for what fitness professionals will deal with in 2008. The trends were then ranked, from highest to lowest, in order of importance.

Perhaps the most interesting finding was that ACSM says there is a “new” trend to blend both diet and exercise. Is this really a 2007 trend? This issue has been talked about for years: You can’t be successful in losing weight and maintaining that weight loss unless you combine exercise with good nutrition.

Perhaps the reason fitness professionals believe this is going to be “the big issue” they will deal with in their facilities in 2008 is related to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report is based on “a comprehensive survey by the federal government that includes physical examinations” among 4,400 adults ages 20 and older in 2005 and 2006. It shows that “obesity rates in U.S. women seem to be staying level, and the rate in men may be hitting a plateau now.”

Why the change? The researchers say that increased exercise is one possibility. The survey found that “about half of men and women reported getting regular physical activity in 2005, an increase from the rates reported in 2001.” Researchers also believe that adults are reducing consumption of high-calorie and fatty foods. If these results are real, that’s great for our profession and the nation.

The ACSM survey identified as the No. 1 trend the issue of obesity in children and the trend toward program development to combat this. However, the CDC’s childhood obesity rates for 2005-2006 have not yet been released, although the results for 2003-2004 showed they were rising.

Here is a list of the top 10 trends predicted by ACSM:
1. Children and obesity
2. Special fitness programs for older adults
3. Educated and experienced fitness professionals
4. Functional fitness
5. Core training
6. Strength training
7. Personal training
8. Mind/body exercise
9. Exercise and weight loss
10. Outcome measurements

I’m curious to know where these trends fall into what readers of this blog have in store for 2008. Are they on target? And are you seeing more of a trend toward diet programs combined with exercise programs in your facilities?

Overweight and Obese as Victims?

Two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are either obese or overweight. This is according to the fourth annual report from Trust for America’s Health, titled “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America.” Just last month, the report was featured in an online article on CNN, calling for a national strategy to combat the obesity crisis. Why? Because, people can’t be expected to handle this problem on their own. It’s not their fault!

Looking at the numbers, maybe we’ve come to a point where federal intervention is necessary. In 1991, only four states had obesity rates above 15 percent. Today, 32 states have obesity rates above 60 percent. The question is, what will federal intervention be, and what would it mean for the health/fitness industry and for society as a whole?

In the CNN article, Jeffrey Levi, who is co-author of the F as in Fat report, says that a national plan needs to be put in place, much like the federal government’s plan in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak. “People can’t exercise personal responsibility in a vacuum,” he says. Levi cites such examples as government being responsible for ensuring that schools have physical education programs and nutritious meals for children, and local zoning boards providing things like sidewalks to ensure that people have a “place” to exercise.

I agree that physical education should never have been pulled from schools, and we’ve all seen what’s being served in cafeterias. But, giving kids a healthy start is one thing; bailing out obese adults is quite another. If the federal government is left to take charge of the obesity epidemic, we need to ensure that a national plan is aimed at changing lifestyles while instilling personal responsibility at the same time. Overweight and obese adults aren’t victims here, as could be interpreted by Levi’s statement that our society has “created an environment that doesn't make it possible for people to exercise that personal responsibility.” I don’t buy that at all. In fact, I think even if offered free workout facilities and a personal nutritionist, the majority of adults still wouldn’t work out or stop eating junk.

So, what are we really talking about if the government is to be responsible for implementing a national plan? Is it going to come down to subsidized fitness facilities and fitness facility memberships? Because we’ve all seen how well other government subsidized programs have helped to fix problems! That’s just scary.

The dialog has started, so fitness facility operators and professionals, to be sure, should have a pivotal voice. In my opinion, the government’s role should merely be to put national objectives in place, and provide healthy lifestyle incentives, such as tax and insurance rebates. The foremost national objective should be to publicize how much of a detriment obesity is to our society. The CNN article cites a Duke University study that found “184 lost work days per 100 obese full-time employees, versus 14 lost work days per 100 normal-weight full-time employees.” And, it says, the average obese worker has up to 21 percent higher healthcare costs.

Our industry’s role, on the other hand, should be to coordinate efforts with local governments and other organizations, and to make it clear that options are available to individuals in their efforts to be fit and to maintain a healthy weight. Trust me, if being obese felt as awful as having the flu, I’d bet overweight and obese individuals would be exercising their butts off and making a lot healthier food choices to get well.

Let’s not be fooled here. It will always come down to personal responsibility. The effects of a national anti-obesity effort, if approached responsibly by our government, could be good for our industry and all of society, provided we keep personal responsibility at the forefront.

Michael Moore’s Personal “Sicko”

Regardless of what you think of his documentary Sicko, or of your political leanings, Michael Moore is a living, breathing example of one way to ease the burden on our nation’s healthcare system: People can take responsibility for their own health and lose weight, which would tackle many health problems at its root.

Two fitness professionals agree. Jim Labadie and Ryan Lee, health advocates in Florida, are challenging the admittedly overweight Moore to live a healthier lifestyle. They created the Michael Moore Health Challenge, and state, “This is about Michael Moore exercising regularly and improving his diet so he can become a better role model for preventative care.”

Being obese can cause a list of health problems, according to WebMD, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep apnea and stroke. And, these problems cost the U.S. healthcare system billions (yes, that’s billions) of dollars each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity and its associated health problems have a “significant economic impact on the U.S. healthcare system.”

A study on the costs attributed to obesity found that medical expenses for overweight and obese people accounted for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical expenditures in 1998, and may have reached as high as $92.6 billion in 2002 dollars.

Michael Moore may have made some good points in his documentary, but the one thing he can achieve right now is control over his own health, and set an example for others who are overweight. Says Jason C. Brown, founder of CrossFit Philly, a training program and studio in Mt. Airy, Pa., “He’s a billboard for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and all those bad things associated with obesity. He’s preaching about healthcare costs, and he’s directly affecting it.”

The Childhood Obesity Fight Is Ours

For how long, exactly, are we going to keep saying that a healthy lifestyle starts in the home? Before we realize, that is, that no matter how much and how long we say it, it isn’t going to happen. It’s unfortunate, but most parents aren’t helping their kids lead healthful lifestyles — not by example, anyway — and neither are the schools, so it’s up to fitness professionals to step in and do it for them.

Our publication has been talking about the need and opportunity to provide youth fitness programs at facilities for years, and I know many are doing so (see the stories on youth fitness on the FM website). But we haven’t yet scratched the surface of what needs to be done. Recently, a story appeared on the MSNBC website titled Private gym for teens aims to address obesity. It’s a great concept for a gym, especially in light of the fact that IHRSA reports that, since 2005, approximately 1 million kids ages six to 17 have worked out with personal trainers. Obviously, there is a desire by kids to get healthy. Unfortunately, even though this facility, Overtime Fitness, has been open for close to a year, it still isn’t turning a profit, and it is now opening its doors to adults to supplement its revenue stream.

What’s even more unfortunate is the criticism these types of facilities are receiving from some professions and organizations. For instance, the Overtime facility, once a virtual reality flight simulation center, features video games that inspire movement, such as boxing, dancing, jumping and bike riding. But critics contend that using video games “won’t necessarily compel kids to keep exercising as they grow up.” I say, get them moving, let them see what it’s like to be healthy, rather than obese and lazy. My guess is, in the long run, that’s the way they’re going to want to stay.

Another critic, Ann Cotten, director of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy at the University of Baltimore, doesn’t think it’s fair that kids who have money should be able to have a facility to work out in, while low-income teens “who are at highest risk of obesity, diabetes, asthma and other health problems” can’t afford it. Hey, we have to start somewhere! Sure, it would be great to have public- and private-funded facilities where all teens could benefit. But, let’s look at the business reality here. To their credit, the managers of Overtime are asking Google Inc. and other local businesses to fund scholarships, and the facility is waving the $109 fee this summer.

I hope this facility, and others like it, make it. And, I hope that those people who criticize these efforts to help fight the youth obesity epidemic are proved wrong, and thus silenced. If your facility offers youth fitness opportunities, I commend you for stepping up to the plate, and hope to hear what you’re doing so others may follow suit.