Originally Posted by
Hondo Gravel
This is a just an observation with 100% junk science. When I was in elementary school in the late 1970s we drank and would eat anything and no one was fat. We would run like horses playing whatever sport was in season before school then we had milk break, drank our milk fast as we could then would run some more. Then eat lunch as fast as we can so we could play a one more again. Then again we would go crazy during recess before the school buses arrived. If you were fat you were rare. The vending machines had all the sugar and caffeine soft drinks and no one ever whined about it. This was before video and computer games and general lack of physical movement. Today you see overweight children all over the place with their attention focused on the latest I-phone or whatever. I believe the problem is just a simple lack of movement and physical exertion.
I would have to agree with your statements. When I was in elementary school we were active all day long.
Originally Posted by
Flip Flop Rider
kids don't need regimented exercise but they do need to be outdoors. Parents are reluctant to send them out un-monitored, and don't want to spend all of there time outside monitoring them
I see kids outside sometimes but they are usually monitored by a parent. Not saying they shouldn't be, but a time existed when kids were relatively un-monitored. My mom hates the outdoors but had no problem sending me out for the day
parents don't cook as much at home either, and throw in video games with amazing graphics to boot
lots of factors
this post is purely opinion and is not backed up by scientific data (to my knowledge)
Parents are way too overprotective. I live around the corner from an elementary school. Almost every kid going there gets driven to school. The parents want to be sure they drop them off as close to the front entrance as possible. They will fight traffic and parking just for this privilege. I can never figure out why they just don't drop them off about a block or 2 away and let them walk the final 1/4 mile..
I also believe the observation above that there are more overweight kids than there has ever been. I remember who that fat kids were because there weren't that many. Now it seems like every 3rd kid is overweight.