At the Risk of Pointing Out the Obvious…
1. Show me 10 boys who can do pull ups and I’ll show you 10 boys who are not obese. *
2. Show me 10 girls who can do pull ups and I’ll show you 10 girls who are not obese.
3. Show me 10 families full of members who can do pull ups and I’ll show you ten families who don’t worry about obesity and all the related problems.
4. Show me an elementary or a high school full of students who can do pull ups and I’ll show you an elementary and a high school who’ve won the war on obesity.
5. Show me a school teacher, administrator, or a school board member who can do pull ups and I’ll show you a school teacher, an administrator, and a school board member who are all setting great examples for the kids in their schools to follow.
6. Show me a company (say McDonald’s) full of employees who can do pull ups and I’ll show you a company that’s healthy, energetic, productive, and inexpensive to insure.
7. Show me a police department whose members can do pull ups and I’ll show you a police department who doesn’t worry about the relationship between cops and donuts.
8. Show me a group of childhood obesity prevention experts who can do pull ups and I’ll show you a group of childhood obesity prevention experts who walk the walk.
9. Show me a town/city, a county, a state, or a nation whose citizens can do pull ups and I’ll show you a town/city, a county, a state, and a nation who’s won the war against obesity.
10. Show me a group of people who understand what you’ve just read here and I’ll show you a group of people who are unconfused and ready to rally around “A simple, easily implemented, easily documented, and affordable solution to childhood obesity.”
And Then, With a Straight Face…
1. Tell me why obesity prevention is so complicated and confusing that we’re unable stop it from growing like a California forest fire raging out of control?
2. Tell me why every gym teacher in America agrees with the claim that kids who can do pull ups are never obese, yet so few take the time to teach their kids to do pull ups and to become obesity beating heroes in their own local communities at the same time?
3. Tell me why America’s Surgeon General has named childhood obesity prevention his TOP PRIORITY yet to date has provided no actionable answers to the problem?
4. Tell me why the future and life quality of millions of boys and girls will be undermined and sacrificed by low self esteems due to ongoing battles with obesity?
5. Tell me why a charitable organization like the Robert Woods Johnson foundation has dedicated $500 million dollars over the next five years to defeating childhood obesity, yet after year one (one hundred million spent) they have so little to show for it?
6. Tell me why we’re spending countless billions as a nation on obesity related illnesses?
7. Tell me why people in high positions simply fail to act, even when the obvious is pointed out to them?
8. Tell me why common sense is so uncommon, and why the obvious is so hard to see?
9. Tell me why we continue to think that the emperors are wearing beautiful and stylish new clothes when they’re obviously standing stark naked in front of everyone, for anyone – with open eyes – to see?
10. And if this is true of an issue like childhood obesity prevention, doesn’t it make you wonder how many other blatantly obvious solutions to crucial problems are being completely and totally overlooked and ignored by our so called authorities, our so called experts, our so called leaders?
*Substitute any sufficiently challenging functional acid test (i.e. dips, rope climbing, rock climbing, hand stand push ups, superman push ups) in place of pull ups and the results will inevitably be the same.
Rick Osbourne is a Chicago based writer who currently serves as Executive Director of Operation Pull Y