Childhood Obesity: My Pledge + Progress

OBESITY.

Childhood Obesity. 

An alarming reality that is sweeping the nation. 

In America? 

One child in five is 'officially' overweight by the time they reach kindergarten.

[Source]

As I travel and present at conferences around the country, I am occasionally able to sit in on the presentations of others. While in Georgia for GAYC, I was able to listen in recently and SEE the slides shared via the CDC on the growing trend in America toward the ever-expanding rise of obesity across this country. 

Take a look for yourself. These maps are truly disturbing.

Take a look at where the stats begin in 1985.

Then compare the stats every 5 years. 

Alarming. Disturbing. Downright distressing. 

You can go directly to the CDC to see each map closely. 

Now look at this century.

Believe it or not -- it gets worse. 

A LOT WORSE! 

2005. 

AND YET STILL WORSE! 

2010. 

After 'seeing' these maps at GAYC, I developed those two slides above to include in my own powerpoint presentation a week later in Richmond Virginia. I am a visual learner. SEEING all of this visual 'evidence' was a game changer for me. 

For at least the last three years I have been GIVING workshops entitled: 

"Stemming the Tide to Childhood Obesity: Let's Get Moving!" 

I have been inciting my participants to get up and get moving. To get heart rates up. To drink more water. To dance throughout the day. I have even included poignant stories as illustration to bring home the need for more 'active' lesson plans. 

[Spoiler alert: I am on the verge of securing my very first, real, blog sponsor! I'm so excited, because it is a product that will directly connect to this issue of obesity and contribute to getting kids moving. STAY TUNED. I will insert the link just as soon as the ink-is-dry! Hopefully I can get all of my ducks in a row by NAEYC. Come visit me in booth #1213 to see for yourself!] 

For example. While in Arkansas last fall, one of my participants came up to me afterward to share that she had a student so morbidly obese that no other child 'picked' her in the classic game "Duck, Duck, Goose" because the little girl could NOT get up off the floor fast enough -- every one of the other children, as the 'duck' child could run all the way around the circle before the heavyweight goose-child could rise up. The teacher went on to lament that the obese girl regularly came to school with FOUR cupcakes in her lunchbox. INCREDULOUS! FOUR cupcakes?!?!?!

I asked the teacher if she had relayed her caring concerns to the parents. This well meaning teacher said "No." She didn't think that was professional/appropriate on her part, since the child's weight didn't deal with academics. Suffice it to say. We had a heart-to-heart. I challenged this caring teacher to share her concerns with the parents and to address the cupcake-issue head on. 

I wonder if she gathered the courage? What would you do? As educators, as caring adults, we need to be concerned about the WHOLE child. 

Nearly two years ago I wrote an article for our collaborative on this topic. You can click over to "PreK+K Sharing" to read my thoughts as 2012 was launched. It's awful to know that things are only worse these many months later. 

Now. Here's where the rubber meets the road. Let's get personal. 

Do you know your own BMI (body/mass index)? 

Click right here for your specific calculation.

Take a look at mine as summer began.

As summer began, I was at my Highest.Weight.Ever = 153.4 pounds. 

{That is the most I have ever, ever weighed. 

Nine months pregnant with my second child I was 153 pounds even.

Trust me. I remember.} 

My name is Debbie. 

I am a 'stress' eater. 

I am a sluggard.

I can easily be happily entertained with a laptop for hours on end.

Internet connection? Make that ALL day delirium! 

Immediately after the GAYC presentation I calculated my BMI.

Truth? Hard truth. I realized that my own BMI at my highest weight was literally at THE crossroads between normal weight and OVERweight. 

Lightbulb moment.

Today. At 146.4 I'm headed in the right direction. 

So begins the next chapter of my adventure: 

BMI WAKE-UP CALL! 

We have moved. Literally. Houses. States.

Everything's NEW and SHINY in our newly painted, new-to-us home. 

Our development has a communal work-out room. 

Can you see where I'm going with us?

A TREADMILL! 

An ocean shoreline beach! 

It's time to make daily activity the priority.

***I have a pledge to make. This is important stuff. 

If you leave a comment below this article and tell me truthfully that you have calculated your own BMI, if you include your email address, I will send you an Mp3 copy of my song

"Eating Healthy."  

This is a whole new era.

If you're following me on Instagram, you already know I have my first iPhone!  

It turns out that 'moving' is good to get one MOVING. 

All of this carting of boxes and sewing of curtains and walking about the house, putting things away and thinking up new projects is good for the scale,

which tis good for the BMI. 

Yesterday was finish-and-HANG-the-curtains in my 'studio' day!

OH yeah! LUV me my IKEA fabric! 

   

Speaking of IKEA fabric......

Our bedroom is the most kinda-sorta 'finished' of our little haven. 

From just the right angle it looks like everything is in place! 

But if I allow you another glimpse, 

you'll see the project that still awaits. 

I literally have an empty canvas that is calling....... 

It's 36 by 36" and I have an idea percolating. 

I also have a full week before I fly out to my next journey.

The thing about blogging, even photography in general...... 

You get to edit. Crop. Fix things by where you focus. 

Let me explain. 

Part of 'creativity' is allowing yourself sufficient time in the muckin' about phase. 

Look at our bathroom, now that I have the curtains altered and hanging in place. 

Here's a look at reality, just outside the frame..... 

....... I did move the vacuum cleaner and curtain remnants, 

but hopefully you get the idea. 

Focus on what is looking good! 

Remember when you are reading along on someone's blog and have the sinking feeling that your room, your kitchen, your children, your life will never look that "pulled together" ~~~~ that there is always some serious editing and staging that goes into any given finished blog article. Trust me. I know! 

My new friends on Instagram are just having the first peek at a couple of my favorite earlier projects that are DIY in nature, easily 'replicated' and hopefully provide some inspiration. I promised I'd provide the links here. My HAPPY mixed media collage is already hanging in our front foyer. So this place feels like 'home.' 

If you want to see that unfold in real time, go back to this link to see the messy, happy fun I had. Or better still, just click back earlier this summer, to see how this project incited a whole cyber project without my even knowing it. Talk about the power of the internet! 

Now shift gears to a very sentimental piece. 

My 'angel' project is especially near and dear to my heart. That is what I painted upon the death of my dear friend 'Saint.' Engaging in a creative activity during such loss was therapeutic. Seeing her brightly restored, with flair and hair, everyday offers me hope. I know she watches over me. You can go back in time to read about our relationship as fellow Breast Cancer survivors. 

Note-to-self: That's a book I need to write, all in one place. The woman was heroic in her battle. The connection between the two of us was worth distilling into words. 

Here is the progress as documented on that Easter weekend between her passing and the funeral. Only Pat would have the perfect timing and to leave Earth in the midst of Easter weekend. So fitting. So Pat. So fortunate to have met and spent quality time with her. 

Now. Back to 'real time' and the unfolding of our new little place. This marks a whole 'nother level of fun ahead. I had been seeing the cyber-ads for a site called Zulily. I have taken the dive into understanding what their concept is all about. Deals. Sales. Price slashes. If you see it, you'd better order it, before it is no longer available. 

We needed an area rug for our dining room area. I searched on Zulily. I found something terrific. I didn't order it at that moment because I got distracted. It was 'gone' by the time I remembered a couple of days later. AKKKKK. VERY fortunate for me that just a week later, they had a different set of area rugs deeply discounted, because I found the RUG OF MY DREAMS at a crazy low price I could afford. I had learned my lesson! I ordered it immediately! 

LOOK AT MY NEW HAPPY RUG!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Perfect BEYOND words for our happy house! 

My happy rug marks a new evolution for my blogging/pinning experience. 

Moving forward, as I have time, I will occasionally be pinning directly from Zulily to my newest pinboard entitled: 

"Shopping, Sharing, Saving"

And here's the full disclosure:

I'm an affiliate. 

When you make your first purchase at Zulily as a result of one of my pins, I get a thank you gift credit.

How cool is that? 

I thought you'd like to see the dining room as it is now!

Thanks to IKEA for the light fixture, red shelf and curtain fabric. 

Stay tuned for the 'make-over' on this mirror. See the bad spot? 

That was a crazy long ramble about my progress on the theme, 

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" 

I want to be a great-grandma! 

That means I want my BMI in the healthy range.

That means I need to "Move more + eat less." 

I want to have time and space to be creative.

I am heading in the right direction for all of the above.