The Weight of the Nation: I'm Bringing Healthy Back

Back on the Wagon: Making Lunches at Midnight on a Sunday

This is just a quick post about an awesome (and free) resource, The Weight of the Nation.(And, addmitedly, in contradiction to my previous post, declaring my love for pudding and whipped topping.)

THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION is a presentation of HBO and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.

This four-part documentary sheds light on the future health risks for overweight children, the consequences of diabetes later in life, and the societal challenges Americans are up against. It was a wake up call for me.

My original purpose for starting this blog at the beginning of the year was to motivate myself to improve my health habits and those of my family. I've definitely veered off topic, documenting mostly failure (and don't worry, this will remain a major theme of future posts!); but here it is September, and it's time to get back on the wagon. Again.

Watching this documentary series helped me understand that I'm not crazy for struggling with these goals; that marketing for crap is a very strong and highly profitable force to overcome; and that there is no shame in asking for help.

In the past I have shied away from asking my pediatrician specifically about nutrition and exercise, mostly out of guilt. However, when I mentioned I was having trouble getting my kids to exercise in the evenings, she suggested making them go to bed without dinner if they didn't cooperate. A much more direct stance than I have been taking! If I hadn't asked, she never would have told me this. I'd go on thinking that our evening exercise was optional.

Unfortunately, there is no solution for lack of time. Since I'm a working mom, I will have to do my meal planning on the weekend to have time for exercise and homework during the week nights.

So, if you're like me and find yourself asking "Why is it so effing hard to do the right thing when it comes to nutrition?" Stop beating yourself up, check out the documentary, and accept that making positive change is going to require a huge effort. But well worth it - for without health, we have nothing!

Have a great week.

Comments

[Happy Little Feet]

Thank you for such an honest an inspiring post. The wieght of the nation is a really big concern and if we take it one day at a time it will be a little easier to get back on track. Of course you are right do not beat your self up.

[Molly Ballistic]

Thanks! It's frustrating because the right choices are so simple and obvious, yet difficult to execute. And there are so many opportunities to fail!

[Naptimewriting]

I always shrugged at the idea that habits were hard to change and that fighting the ease and low price of crappy food could be nigh impossible.

But my slowing metabolism and constant state of exhaustion and frustration has made me, a reformed , face inertia for years.

Some people do well with the "make small changes and they will snowball" thing. I seem to only respond to "one whole month of ridiculous and rigid rules" to change how I plan, buy, cook, and eat.

I'm shocked at how useful meal planning is. I used to decide *just* before dinner time what to serve. And make lunches *just* before we ran out the door. Now I plan the whole week, and find remarkable freedom in following a food flash card.

Good luck. If you need more incentive, goading, or ideas, check out Food Inc., Fast Food Nation, Supersize Me, Omnivore's Dilemma. And see if morning exercise can work for your family. I find a raucous run around the block is easier in the morning when my kids have energy to spare.

[Molly Ballistic]

Thanks! Yep, those are great resources. I could surely stand to re-read-or finish-some of the books I've got collecting dust.