Gyms fail to help obesity epidemic
You'd think gyms and fitness centers would help minimize the growing problem of obesity. But they don't.A new UK study shows that if current obesity levels continue, about a quarter of all children in the UK will be obese by the year 2050. Sixty percent of men and 40 percent of women will fall prey to the same problem by this target date. These statistics hold true in spite of the whole fitness industry. Why? There are three reasons, says Dr. Jennifer Smith Maguire, author of the report Fit for Consumption: Sociology and the Business of Fitness.
Gyms are geared toward people with spare cash, people who can afford the monthly payments but are the most likely to be inactive and obese, Maguire says. Another problem is that gyms and fitness centers are generally presented as locations of leisure.
Maguire says: "Attention is thus diverted away from such alternatives as the collective provision of fitness and recreation opportunities, and ways in which physical exercise can be reintroduced as an integral part of everyday life, rather than yet another activity to be squeezed into an already shrinking supply of 'free' time."
One more issue: The fitness industry tends to focus on body image rather than healthful lifestyles.
"The emphasis in the fitness field tends to be on exercise as a means to some other end: a slimmer, more attractive, healthier body. While such extrinsic benefits may create a seductive marketing appeal, they don't lend themselves to a sustainable approach to fitness, and they don't necessarily lead to health," Maguire concludes.
So that's the scoop coming out of the UK. Seem accurate to you?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-17-2007 @ 10:40AM
Michael Minner said...
I'm sure the person who wrote this is obese! thats typical of overweight people, to always put the onus on someone, or something else! stop making excuses and get moving!
Reply
11-17-2007 @ 11:05AM
Chris Kovarik said...
Here's a clue, obese people don't use gyms.Unbelievable.Nobody wants to do any work to get results!!
Reply