How to Solve Childhood Obesity... A Story

I just got this email from Jonathan Gelfand, general counsel at Beachbody. I think it's an important lesson for anyone who wonders how we got into the crisis of childhood obesity, and how we can solve it:

Carl,

Something you said a few months back really resonated for me the other day.

My daughter Sophie came upstairs Saturday while I was working out to Power 90 and asked what I was doing. From reading I have done, I know we are at the parenting stage where we "model behavior" for her and I remember you saying that our parents taught us to do our homework and brush our teeth but probably never made fitness a required part of your everyday life. So, I explained to her what Daddy was doing and why and that was that. The next day I went upstairs to do my workout again and with about 20 minutes left, Sophie came upstairs and started following along (jumping jacks and the hopping side to side which was the perfect time). When I asked her why she was working out with me, she said because it was important. Eureka!

(Now if I can only find a way to replicate that with 'not dating' until she is 22.)

Jonathan

The point here goes beyond solving childhood obesity. This is an example of how, despite how it feels, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. How you behave can have a positive impact on everyone around you. It's one of the key functions of being a coach -- LIVING the healthy active lifestyle, not just representing it.

That's not only how childhood obesity gets solved, but the healthcare problem in general. We are not alone. Your behavior matters. My behavior matters. The healthier one lives, the healthier we all will live.