Tag Archives: health

Bent Out of Shape

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I’m listening to the Marty Minto show right now (M – F, 3PM – 6PM on
101.5 WORD-FM in Pittsburgh) and he’s about to have a coronary because
a day care
center is teaching yoga to kids. He’s yelling for people to repent
and generally carrying on like a corner apocalyptic preacher. I called
the show and gave him an earful about the fear-monger he is. In his
eyes, there is no way anyone can practice yoga without being drawn into
Hindu. Oy!

For more about yoga and Christianity, check out this
Messy Christian post. Let me know what you think.

Is Yoga unChristian?

Just a year ago, my answer would’ve been absolutely. But the funny thing that happens when your worldview comes crashing down is that you start to question everything that you once so firmly believed in. I learnt, in the past few months, that one’s “version” of Christianity or how one practices it is largely influenced by cultural and societal pressures/factors. I even start to question the validity of the word “true Christianity” because one’s true Christianity is another’s “backslidden” Christianity.

This post is not to discuss why Yoga is B.A.D. I’ve heard them all, people. Nor is it to discuss why yoga is good.

I want to think beyond the good/bad mentality that many of us Christians have where we’re forced to choose sides. I want to get above that. One, because I’m tired of this line of reasoning. Two, because life is just not so simple!

Portly Protesters

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“Obesity is not a disease. All this does is open the door for the diet and bariatric surgery industries to make a potentially tremendous profit.” – Allen Steadham in “Fat activists start mass protest“

Riiiiight…and smoking isn’t bad for you either. The campaign against smoking is just a front for extortion by a hippocratic mafia. *rolls eyes*

While I agree that too much emphasis is placed on appearance, in particualr thinness, in our society, I don’t think that means all superfluous weight should be accepted. Some people have genetic predispositions to being overweight. They should seek help. Some people have emotional problems that lead to overeating. They, too, should seek help. Some people eat too many damn super-sized burger meals and unhealthy snacks and drink too much soda. They should quit stuffing their faces with fat , get off their lazy, gluttonous asses and get some friggin’ exercise! (Pardon my French)

P.S. I practice what I preach. I’ve been eating better and working out. I’ve lost about 25 pounds over the last year or so.

Dance Marathon

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Games to get kids off the couch

Some of the new video games on the market make children move more than their thumbs – they get the kids off the couch and get them to exercise. With television and video games often blamed for contributing to the growing problem of obesity in children, video game makers and children’s TV companies are creating shows and games that motivate children to move around or offer story lines that encourage exercise.

[…]

Lowenstein and others say the video game Dance Dance Revolution — which created
a craze in the nation’s arcades and is now popular among video game players at the
home — made the industry realize “gamers are willing to experience a game
other than in a sitting position.”

I played a version of this game at Dave
and Buster’s recently. At first, it’s completely foreign and ridiculously complicated.
Once you get over the initial learning curve, though, it’s thoroughly addictive.
I spent more money on this game than I have ever spent on any other video game. Anyhow, anything that gets kids off their lazy arses is a good start to eliminating childhood obesity.

Common Sense Diet

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The
Smoke and Mirrors of Food Labeling
By SHERRI DAY

“Food companies – including some that have pledged to act in the face of rising
obesity rates – routinely exploit labeling laws that allow them to make their products
seem less fattening than they really are, according to nutritionists and consumer
groups.”

While deception in the form of dishonest food labels is deplorable, any furor over
it really just underscores a fundamental lack of common sense among consumers. The
trick to losing weight isn’t counting calories. Just eat sensibly. Eat many small
portions throughout the day with some care given to nutrition. Keep junk food to
a minimum. Exercise. How hard is that to understand? Maybe people already understand
but are too lazy to do it. Americans was quick fixes, not hard work. My diet is
far from perfect, but my portions are now smaller and I exercise – Yoga and Tai
Chi. I’ve lost about ten pounds over the last few months.

Fat Tax

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This makes sense. If we’re going to tax alcohol, cigarettes, and other unhealthy things, we might as well tax fatty foods.

Government unit ‘urges fat tax’

Plans for a tax on fatty foods such as cakes and biscuits are being considered by government advisers.

The Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit is considering increasing duties on some food and having a sports drive to fight obesity, according to the Times.

The newspaper claims a document urges a fatty food tax as a “signal to society” because the number of obese British people has risen sharply in 20 years.