The vocabulary of the 21st century: Toning up, Love Handles Workout, diet-friendly treats, metabolism boost, natural cellulite remedies, Body Mass Index, fat loss, exercise-induced growth hormone, active vacations, refreshing lite beer, The Official Oprah Diet, Adidas ClimaWalk, cholesterol level, hydrating fitness belt, eating disorders, celebrity bodies, etc., etc., etc.
We are, on a daily basis, bombarded with headlines, ads, magazine articles, billboards and rear bus panels on “the fat issue”. Even reality shows follow intimately each step of the long road from hell to heaven: Shedding anything between nine and 28 kilo’s in front of a TV-watching nation cannot be easy. However, if that is what it takes to become a celebrity… And, of course, the bigger the loss, the higher the status.
To complicate matters, much has been said lately about being too thin. Most celebrities are fashionably thin and regarded as bad role models for young girls who could become anorexic, bulimic or even die in their quest to become a “perfect size zero”. The recent top model controversy was proof of the many attempts to change this.
One thing is certain: The fat issue has become THE issue on the mind of every women, mother, educator, adolescent and, yes, guy on the globe. One can even find a diet for your overweight pet on various websites. (After all, did someone famous not recently say that fat pets have fat owners?) Has it always been this way? Have we, up to recently, simply not noticed or paid attention? Has the human anatomy (at least) stayed the same? What is the relation between weight and fat? Between weight and exercise? Weight and health?
If u r just a little worried that u might be missing something important or perhaps even start to feel somewhat uncomfortable when a friend obviously means something entirely different from a pack of ice-cold Tui when he or she uses the term “six pack”, u can google, say, “diets” for a start. Response? 24 000.000 hits. “Health issues” turns out 2 080.000 hits and u can choose from at least 800 health clubs anywhere in NZ if u feel empowered enough to consider a workout.
Health control is no longer the prerogative or even choice of the individual. The NZ government, together with Fitness NZ, has issued an extensive set of health guidelines and even rules to promote a healthy nation. Body fat, exercise and lifestyle have become daily topics of conversation. Schools may no longer sell in their tuck shops what their clientele desires. Some accepted this interference without question; others rebelled. Who should be blamed if a child is overweight? Some say the educational system is failing its objects. Parents, as always, are regarded huge culprits. Even before the birth of a child, its fate could be decided. Is the Kiwi lifestyle to be blamed? The Western lifestyle? How does NZ compare to other nations? How do different ethnic groups differ? Much research has been done and some results are interesting; others shocking. Alzheimers, Asthma, ADHD, obesity, heart attacks, knee problems, high cholesterol levels and inability to taste are only the start of an unhealthy person’s problems. It is even suggested that we are poisoning ourselves and that the food we eat daily can lead to suicide.
And then, just when we have done some homework on this topic and think we know enough to at least step out the front door, kitted out in our Reeboks and heart rate monitors, we read that it – as everything else in life in the 21st century - boils down to this: The ozone layer. The debate is an ongoing one. Is the so-called health nut who works out daily (also read: showers more often), constantly counts kilojoules, sips ice-cold mineral water and limits her alcohol intake to locally produced organic wine contributing more to the greening process than an unfit, overweight chain smoker? U may consider reading “Fighting Globesity” by Mills and Mills (He is the son of Les Mills of the trendy health club fame); u can also choose to grab a (full-bodied) beer from the fridge and, like Buzz Aldrin, decide that “every human has a finite number of heart beats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercise.”
We are, on a daily basis, bombarded with headlines, ads, magazine articles, billboards and rear bus panels on “the fat issue”. Even reality shows follow intimately each step of the long road from hell to heaven: Shedding anything between nine and 28 kilo’s in front of a TV-watching nation cannot be easy. However, if that is what it takes to become a celebrity… And, of course, the bigger the loss, the higher the status.
To complicate matters, much has been said lately about being too thin. Most celebrities are fashionably thin and regarded as bad role models for young girls who could become anorexic, bulimic or even die in their quest to become a “perfect size zero”. The recent top model controversy was proof of the many attempts to change this.
One thing is certain: The fat issue has become THE issue on the mind of every women, mother, educator, adolescent and, yes, guy on the globe. One can even find a diet for your overweight pet on various websites. (After all, did someone famous not recently say that fat pets have fat owners?) Has it always been this way? Have we, up to recently, simply not noticed or paid attention? Has the human anatomy (at least) stayed the same? What is the relation between weight and fat? Between weight and exercise? Weight and health?
If u r just a little worried that u might be missing something important or perhaps even start to feel somewhat uncomfortable when a friend obviously means something entirely different from a pack of ice-cold Tui when he or she uses the term “six pack”, u can google, say, “diets” for a start. Response? 24 000.000 hits. “Health issues” turns out 2 080.000 hits and u can choose from at least 800 health clubs anywhere in NZ if u feel empowered enough to consider a workout.
Health control is no longer the prerogative or even choice of the individual. The NZ government, together with Fitness NZ, has issued an extensive set of health guidelines and even rules to promote a healthy nation. Body fat, exercise and lifestyle have become daily topics of conversation. Schools may no longer sell in their tuck shops what their clientele desires. Some accepted this interference without question; others rebelled. Who should be blamed if a child is overweight? Some say the educational system is failing its objects. Parents, as always, are regarded huge culprits. Even before the birth of a child, its fate could be decided. Is the Kiwi lifestyle to be blamed? The Western lifestyle? How does NZ compare to other nations? How do different ethnic groups differ? Much research has been done and some results are interesting; others shocking. Alzheimers, Asthma, ADHD, obesity, heart attacks, knee problems, high cholesterol levels and inability to taste are only the start of an unhealthy person’s problems. It is even suggested that we are poisoning ourselves and that the food we eat daily can lead to suicide.
And then, just when we have done some homework on this topic and think we know enough to at least step out the front door, kitted out in our Reeboks and heart rate monitors, we read that it – as everything else in life in the 21st century - boils down to this: The ozone layer. The debate is an ongoing one. Is the so-called health nut who works out daily (also read: showers more often), constantly counts kilojoules, sips ice-cold mineral water and limits her alcohol intake to locally produced organic wine contributing more to the greening process than an unfit, overweight chain smoker? U may consider reading “Fighting Globesity” by Mills and Mills (He is the son of Les Mills of the trendy health club fame); u can also choose to grab a (full-bodied) beer from the fridge and, like Buzz Aldrin, decide that “every human has a finite number of heart beats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercise.”
