Is it necessary for people to go this way ?

[Randell Waddell]

Do we not have a VERY viable alternative to this approach ?????

[ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27167-2005Apr5.html?nav=hcmodule ]

Cheers
Randell. :D

[Connie Brown]

Yes, we do!

I was talking about this with my DD, who was a sitter for a 10 yo with ADD and ODD and obesity. It's so frustrating that here in the suburbs, the kids do not go to the playground or the park after school for lack of supervision, so then they are stuck inside and what is there to do but video games?

[PaoloValladolid]

If they insist on playing video games, Dance Dance Revolution (in all its varieties) is by far the best option as far as getting them to exercise.

DDR also encourages more socializing than other video games, and I do mean socializing in person rather than just the Internet. You'll see it in arcades that have DDR machines.

[Coach Gostnell]

One of the kids said:
"I like how it creates a good mood," she said. "Even when you mess up you laugh."
That statement seems both sad & encouraging. Sad that kids are often so inactive they don't know the joy of physical movement - running, jumping, climbing, hopping fences to swipe fruit (ahem).

By the time we were in school, my brother, our friends and I were familiar w/ the fruit-ripening cycle for a mile around. Not to mention at least passing acquaintance with every backyard fence & garage roof in the neighborhood. (We played games too - Cowboys & Indians, Army... just that the graphics were all in our heads :) )

But even tho' this burg is relatively quiet and safe, almost no one I know allows their kids to roam loose like that anymore. They think it's just too scary, and who am I to argue. Glad my boys got to grow up in the woods.

So the statement's encouraging that at least, even if it's through yet another miracle of electronics, the kids are getting a chance to MOVE.

[CanadianCroCop]

It's allready way to out of hand where I live, P.E.I. is the fattest province in canada....if you ever came here and walked around town for one day i'm sure most of you would be in disbelief. People here are way way way too lazy.

[Jay76]

People here are way way way too lazy.

I would love some examples :shock: :D

[Coach Gostnell]

People here are way way way too lazy, ....
I would love some examples

Don't know how laziness is manifested on Prince Edward, but here's a couple examples from Southern Oregon:

At least five people I work with live within a mile of the office, on quiet, residential streets - a couple of them are about THREE blocks away. Several more live within a mile & a half or two miles. EVERY ONE of them drives to work & back every single day, sometimes drives home for lunch too. And now the big fad is a bunch of people drive a quarter mile to "Curves" at lunch everyday to work out. :roll: By the way, gas here is over $2.50 a gallon, but I don't see anyone investing in walking shoes.

But even better than that is our office shares most of a block and a huge parking lot with a health club (too expensive anymore for most of us to belong to.) I see people practically duking it out over parking spaces nearest the door. Then they go in, do a fifteen minute warmup before working out when all they had to do was park at the far end of the lot and walk to the door to get warmed up. :roll: :roll:

And while we're on the subject of health clubs/gyms, what's up with so many of these burly guys who come to lift weights and who drive pickup trucks on Steroids? I mean, the TRUCKS look like they're on Steroids! Some of these guys can barely see over the steering wheels. Then they surround my poor little Matrix in the parking lot & I practically need radar to escape my parking space without getting nailed by some person who parked next to the gym door roaring out of the lot at 40 mph! (In their haste to escape their miserable workout maybe :?: :twisted: )

[CanadianCroCop]

Well, for example 2 gyms here went bankrupt in the last month. Yet there are at least 2-3 bars for ever block in the city. People here have been made to be lazy, the amount of fast food chains on this little sandbar we call an island is insane as well, we have 5 Mcdonalds, 3 wendy's, 1 burger king, 1 harvey's, 3 subways, 1 capt submarine, 3 pizza delights, 2 pizza huts, 2 east side mario's, 1 mike's, and countless other little fast food shops, the population here is only 35,000.

[Coach Gostnell]

the amount of fast food chains on this little sandbar we call an island is insane as well

With all the fat, excuse me, FAST food, ya gotta wonder where everyone is in such a hurry to go. I mean, it's an ISLAND, right?

I suspect they're all rushing home to watch "Survivor". :wink: