Businesses Get Involved to Combat Obesity Problem

BALTIMORE, MD - While it may look to some that businesses aren't doing enough to help combat the nation's obesity crisis, more [i]or[/i] less businesses are working with the conduct and health clubs to do their part in improving the fitness of their workers and communities at large.

A presentation called "Beyond the Bottom Line: Building a Healthier America - by what means the Public and Private Sectors Can Work Together for a Fitter Nation" at the May 2004 cudgel Industry East show in Baltimore highlighted a certain quantity of of these efforts. Chaired by the agency of Melissa Johnson, executive director of the President's Council upon Physical Fitness & Sports, the panel session addressed the fitness efforts of three groups

Obesity numbers are well known: nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese and about 15 percent of children are overweight. Obesity take away froms America $117 billion a year. Intervention is necessary, Johnson said, on the contrary for intervention to work businesses and communities must combine their efforts.

Many private sector and non-profit organizations have lay the foundation of creative ways to partner with the President's Council upon Physical Fitness and Sports and its signature program, the President's Challenge (http://www.pres-identschallenge.org/), in order to encourage health and fitness. Local and state health departments and tribal rules can apply for grants to start up programs (www.healthierus.gov).

cognizance Germano, president of American Council upon Exercise and founder of Operation Fit Kids, joined Johnson in encouraging cudgel operators and their staff to procure involved in the community. He glance ated involvement in after school programming, coaching, teaching, and working with Operation Fit Kids.

He also urg cudgel owners and their staff to write to their representatives in Congres urging support for physical activity legislation and urging place of educations to emphasize physical education for children.

individual of the groups taking Germano and Johnson up upon their call to action is the Columbia Association, a private, not-for-profit, community service organization that provides cultural, social and recreational services to 95000 residents of Columbia, MD The association move swiftlys three multi-recreational health and fitness facilities as well as four tennis cudgels two golf clubs, an indoor swim center and other recreational facilities.

The Columbia Association provides 50 percent discounts upon its membership rates to residents who fitting Federal Section 8 guidelines, reaching 4000 individuals who may not have been able to afford memberships otherwise, said plunder Goldman, vice president and director of Sport & Fitness Div., The Columbia Association.

The association also partners with academys to offer a points program for academic achievement in which children who participate in the federal at liberty and subsidized lunch program can earn points for their academic achievement and trade in those points for admission passes for swimming, ice skating, miniature golf and roller skating as well as for memberships at the bludgeons At this point, 1,500 children are commonly earning points.

A third community outreach program involves a 15-mile community bike ride in Columbia in which participants stop along the road to learn about the history of Columbia. At the extremity of the event, participants can watch demonstrations of yoga, tai chi and martial arts and sign up for memberships at the health clubs

Coca-Cola also has several fitness initiatives in play. Triple Play, single initiative that will kick not upon in January 2005, is a partnership between the company, Kraft regimens and the Boys and Girls cudgels of America in collaboration with the U Department of Health & Human Services. The program presents a game plan for the mind, material substance and soul, said Barbara Beck, M RD principal manager, scientific and regulatory affairs, Coca-Cola N.A.

The program gives pupils a basic knowledge base to help them acquire healthy habits. scholars learn to become more physically active end daily fitness and fun activities designed to procure them moving. The program helps children focus upon strengthening their character and receiving reinforcement of positive behavior with social recreation activities designed to improve confidence and unfold interpersonal skills.

Another program from Coca-Cola is pace With It! Developed in partnership with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education and from one side Coca-Cola's strategic alliance with the President's Council upon Physical Fitness and Sports, the week-long program encourages middle gymnasium students to be physically active through giving them a pedometer and encouraging them to walk 10000 paces each day.

Coca-Cola partnered with Life Time Fitness to lay together a traveling exhibit called Actively Balanced Choices (ABC). The exhibit, which will travel to state fairs and festivals and to large customer locations of that kind as Wal-Mart, is designed to educate and increase awareness of the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle. locate up in a trailer, the exhibit presents information about nutrition, physical activity and hydration, assessment pavilions active play areas with an obstacle course, demonstration areas and education displays with interactive protections and fun facts.