{To be clear what I am about to write does not apply to those with an underlying medical or hormonal condition. I advise anyone embarking on a weight loss and fitness plan to have a thorough medical evaluation. You want to be sure that you are physically able to exercise and you don’t have an underlying medical condition.}
The Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice Reads My Stuff!
by: Joe Leonardi
As is my morning custom, I was scanning the paper and came across a very interesting editorial column. It seems the editors at one of our local newspapers, The Citizens’ Voice, are fans of mine.
In the “Our Voice” section, a column entitled; Draft policy to encourage healthier lifestyles, echos much of what I have been writing and saying over the last two years.
Whichever editor wrote the piece, agrees with many of my sentiments. The opening point stated; “One of the least-remarked aspects of the roiling debate on health care is the potential for improved public health to bring down health care costs.”
Hmm where have I heard that point before? In August of 2009 I wrote; “In the United States, we are focused on our health care crisis. We are trying to figure out how to pay for care. I am sure that there will be something in one form or another by the end of the year; however, we really need to stop focusing solely on the “care” part of health care and start putting an emphasis on “health.”
Granted I said it first, and much more eloquently, yet it is nice for a newspaper to finally realize that the problem is much deeper than just who is going to dole out the cash.
The column went on to cite a few statistics and made several of the same, salient summations I have made many times over. The column discussed obesity related diseases and specifically honed in on the increase in type 2 diabetes among our youth. Gee, I wonder where I have heard that discussed or written about before? I can think of three columns off the top of my head where I stressed these same points. I also discussed this on our local PBS station, WVIA‘s State of Pennsylvania. You want to know what the topic was? Childhood obesity.We were far ahead of the local media in acknowledging and suggesting solutions to this growing epidemic.
One suggested solution was reforming the school lunch program. I made the same argument as recently as two days ago in my posting, Childhood Obesity; We Need To Act — NOW! However, I went even further, I called for actually educating the students and the school administrators on how to eat properly.
The conclusion in the newspaper, “….prevention almost always is less costly than the cure. Better overall public health is an obvious and achievable way to get a better grip on escalating health care costs.” Their conclusion once again mirrors much of what I have written or said, however, there is one glaring omission. Not in a single paragraph, nor even in a single sentence did they mention the importance of physical education or fitness. There is not point in doing something, if you are only going to go half way!
All sarcasm aside, I applaud the Citizens’ Voice for agreeing with my views. I am not arrogant enough to believe that I am the only person to arrive at these conclusions. However, now it is time for a news organization to step up and be part of the solution. I will send this posting to the publisher, managing editor, assistant managing editor and the editorial page editor. In that email, I will offer my services to pen a column, from anywhere to one to three times per week, concerning health, wellness and fitness.
I will let you know their answer.
hello