Boiling Childhood Obesity Prevention Down Into One Simple, Actionable Solution

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 Your Own Weight, an informational web site that’s dedicated to naturally immunizing kids against obesity for a lifetime without pills, shots, or special diets. If you’re interested in childhood obesity prevention, then check out e

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments Off

Jobs, Problem Solving, and Childhood Obesity Prevention

Jobs are being lost by the boatloads all over the nation at an alarming rate. This in turn threatens our nation’s economic viability, reduces our confidence and our spending capacity, and in turn that threatens more job losses in an ever increasing downward spiral. But let’s stop wringing our hands for a second and ask the following question. “What is a job anyway if it’s not an ongoing set of problems to be solved on behalf of someone who’s willing and able to pay you for solving them?”

Problems Equal Opportunity

In that sense, the more problems we experience, the more job opportunities there are on the horizon, presuming you can find someone to pay you for tackling and resolving those problems. In the best light then, the myriad of problems our nation faces today should be seen as a myriad of opportunities, with the challenge being to identify someone who can and will pay your for solving these problems. Change and opportunity (including won/lost opportunity) inevitably go hand in hand.

Take Childhood Obesity for Example

Let’s take for example, the current and growing problem of childhood obesity. Several months ago the United States Surgeon General announced that childhood obesity was his number one priority. A forum of former US Surgeon Generals recently declared that childhood obesity was a greater threat to American’s health than smoking or Aids. It’s costing the American taxpayer over $120 Billion annually (about the same as the war in Iraq) and it’s growing not shrinking.

By any measure childhood obesity is a BIG problem, and if someone can successfully step up to the plate in his or her own community and tangibly turn the tide on this plague, they should be paid handsomely for it…wouldn’t you agree? So the question becomes how do YOU step up to the plate and turn the tide on childhood obesity in your own community? Here’s one quick answer to that question.

The Basic Mechanics

First go to a website called Pull Your Own Weight dot net and peruse the home page. Once you’re done perusing, click on the 90 second You Tube video and watch it…a couple times if necessary. Do these two things and within ten minutes I promise that you’ll understand the mechanics of how kids can naturally immunize themselves against obesity for life, without pills, shots, or fancy diets. It’s actually quite simple.

Here’s the Challenge

But understanding the mechanics is the easy part. The challenging part is understanding the psychology of motivating kids to take action, and to do what ever is necessary to eat better, exercise more, and to naturally immunize themselves against obesity for life. For that you’ll have to read the book entitled Operation Pull Your Own Weight: A Radically Simple Solution to Childhood Obesity, which is available on the Pull Your Own Weight dot net website, Amazon, or on Barnes and Noble.

The Three Most Important Factors

According to the old adage, the three most important factors in real estate are location, location, and location. In childhood obesity prevention the three most important factors are MOTIVATION, MOTIVATION, and MOTIVATION. In other words if you can motivate them, you’ll win and they’ll win too! So what’s wrong with a win/win?

Congratulations, You’ve Just Created Your Own Job

I’m here to tell you that if you truly understand how to inspire and motivate kids to eat better, exercise more, and to naturally immunize themselves against obesity, YOU understand something that most people don’t. This mean that you have a unique service to offer your community (schools, pre-schools, after school programs at park districts, Y’s, Boys/Girls Clubs, churches, etc.).

And by offering that unique service you’ll be able to step up to the plate and tangibly turn the tide on childhood obesity in your community, and get paid handsomely for doing it. That is to say, you have created your own job (how does Childhood Obesity Specialist sound?) by solving a big problem that people can and are willing to pay for.

Childhood Obesity is Only One Example

Now finally, it’s important to say that any time there are big changes i

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments Off