Be a Snowflake/ Be Socially Responsible

I hate to admit it, but I’m tired. I spent a lot of time this weekend working on a case study for my nutrition class on the EPIDEMIOLOGY OF OBESITY. Sorry for shouting at you, but DID you know that the obesity issue is being called an epidemic? It is. I’m feeling tired, because suddenly, the efforts of so many nationwide, and my own small attempts here in my small central Illinois town, don’t feel like they’re even making a dent in the issue. Don’t get me wrong, the fact that Jamie Oliver has a series on prime time television on Friday nights to start his food revolution is great. The fact that Mrs. Obama has become a champion for the issue of childhood obesity through her White House program, Let’s Move! is great. And, Ron Clark, the teacher who overcame great obstacles, became a Disney teacher of the year and now has a successful private academy, that’s great too.


But, come Monday morning, we are still here in our little town, feeling excited about the “cause” but also feeling very frustrated that there is great resistance to these efforts and we may be seeing little if any progress in our own town.

I want to share a story that one of my high school coaches told me, while we were playing golf a few summers ago. She said she used this analogy to motivate her athletes to work as a team. Imagine watching one single snowflake land on the windshield of your car that has the heater on. What happens? It melts quite quickly. Now imagine thousands or millions of snowflakes landing together. Could your car’s defrost melt them quickly? Doubtful. What happens when thousands or millions of snowflakes land together in a snowstorm or blizzard? Towns and schools are shut down and airline flights are delayed, just to mention a few things. Lots of snowflakes together are powerful.

Now imagine that you are a snowflake that is in a group of many other snowflakes wanting to make a positive change in your community. Get the idea? We need to work together as a team (snowball) to make positive changes in our communities. I’m not asking for new causes, just the usual ones:

• Buy, eat and serve healthful foods at home and school
• Schedules that include regular daily physical activity
• Leaders to embrace these efforts with an attitude of “it’s important, so let’s keep an open mind and find a way to make positive change.” Not, “it’s too hard, too much red tape, not enough money……”

This is getting long, so in my next several posts, I will address the three categories I’ve listed above individually. I’m pretty fired up about some situations that are happening right now and some resistance I’m encountering, so I will probably have several posts over the next week.

Will you be a snowflake with me? Here’s how you can join me.

1. Sign up to “follow” my blog.
2. Share my blog with others you know who are passionate about improving the eating habits and physical activity habits of yourself, your family and/or your community.
3. Finally, take a good look at your own efforts. Are you sending the right messages to your family and schools?

Thank you for letting me rant today and not closing this yet! Also, thank you for letting me talk about snowstorms after we have had such a beautiful spring weekend.