Sep
24
Oh Yes He Can
Filed Under Childhood Obesity, Fitness Motivation | Leave a Comment
Babcock
“Can you remember a spring day in your thirteenth year? A seductive breeze, a few white clouds sketched by a careless artist, the sun striking maddening smells from the moist earth and encouraging unaccustomed pulses in various parts of your body.
It was just such a day in 1972, on a late-morning walk in a small Virginia town, that I came across a group of some thirty-five or forty thirteen-year-olds sitting on a grassy bank. I was on a lecture tour, summoned from my motel by the sight and smell of April blossoms.
Standing in front of boys and girls was a taut-muscled young man in gym shoes, gym pants, a white T-shirt, a crew cut, a whistle, and a clipboard. Next to the young man, like a guillotine in the sunlight, was a chinning bar. I stopped to observe the scene.
The man looked at his clipboard. ‘Babcock’ he called.
There was a stir among the boys and girls. One of them rose and made his way to the chinning bar: Babcock the classic fat boy.
Shoulders slumped, he stood beneath the bar. ‘I can’t,’ he said.
‘You can try,’ the man with the clipboard said.
Babcock reached up with both hands, touched the bar limply –just that-and walked away, his eyes downcast, as all the boys and girls watched, seeming to share in his shame.
I also walked on, flushed with anger. Beneath the anger, I sensed something tentative and hurt. The incident seemed to touch an area of my past that I had conveniently forgotten. The day was so lovely-no time to explore painful areas. I started thinking about other things.
But Babcock was not to let me off so easily. The vignette kept replaying itself in my mind. I was fascinated by the way the fat boy walked to the chin up bar, waddling slightly but moving fast as if eager to have it done with; his condemned stance beneath the bar, the minimal, symbolic touch of his hands on the metal; his utter resignation as he walked away, his head bobbing from side to side.
Again and again, Babcock rose, walked to the bar, stood there, touched the bar, walked off. The scene took on the quality of a Greek drama. The man with the clipboard became the stern-visaged god who devises tests for us, then sends us on without mercy to our respective fates. The boys and girls took the part of the chorus, by their silence condemning the unworthy, and yet by the same silence, expressing their own uneasiness and shame.”
…From George Leonard’s Classic Book, The Ultimate Athlete
So What Can We Do For Babcock?
Well, as it turns out, in the Chicago area (for example) Babcock represents at least 23% of all kids under the age of seven. Nationwide, it’s more than 10%. And if you use the pull up bar as your acid test, the figures actually grows dramatically worse because upper body weakness also comes into play.
The question then for the remainder of this book is…how can we help the Babcocks around the world? What can we do to give them the strength and the confidence required to…
- set a goal,
- get a couple workouts in each week for a prescribed period of time,
- eat right,
- get sufficient rest,
- avoid negative habits including tobacco, alcohol, and drugs,
- grab hold of the damn pull up bar
- and show the world that they can do it too?
- That’s the specific challenge that motivates this web site.
Sep
24
In the Beginning…
Filed Under Childhood Obesity, Educators Fitness Info | Leave a Comment
This is the actual story that we used to read the kids at Jefferson Elementary School in Davenport, Iowa to set the stage for OPYOW.
…The Old Coach
Pull Your Own Weight:
A Really Strong Story For Kids
Johnny was a kindergartner. But his cousin Jamal was a senior in high school and a star running back on the football team. Johnny always looked up to Jamal and hoped one day that he too would be a star athlete, with his picture in the newspaper, and people talking about him on television. Everyone thought Jamal was really cool.
One day after supper Jamal and Johnny were wrestling around on the living room floor. When the action slowed down and they were each catching their breath, Johnny said. “I want to be just like you when I grow up Jamal. Do you think I will be?”
Jamal thought for a moment before he answered. Finally he said “Johnny, if you really want to be strong like me it’s up to you! If you play your cards right, you’ll be strong in all kinds of ways. And if you play your cards wrong, you’ll probably be weak. Now which would you rather be Johnny, weak or strong?
Johnny just smiled and said “I want to be strong just like you Jamal. But I don’t understand what you mean about the cards. What do you mean when you say I have to play my cards right?
You Gotta Set A Goal And Practice Regularly To Be Strong
“Ok Johnny” let me give you an example of what I’m talking about so you’ll understand. One way to get strong is by setting a goal and doing exercises, like for example…pull ups, right? Now I have lots of friends in my school who hate pull ups, but it’s because they’re weak, they weigh too much, and they can’t do pull ups. So when the coach puts them on the pull up bar and they can’t do anything but hang, they get totally embarrassed.“
“But personally, I love pull ups because I’m strong, light, and I can do lots of ‘em. You could say I’m a star on the pull up bar” said Jamal with a cool smile.
“But one of the reasons I’m strong and light is that I’ve practiced doing pull ups twice a week ever since I was in fifth grade when I decided that I wanted to be able to do more than anyone else in my class…which I did, because I was the only one who practiced doing them.”
“Now, seven years later, after I’ve made little slices of progress every week, every month, every year, I look back and see that all those little slices of progress have added up to a great big pile of progress, especially if you compare me to others who never practiced pull ups.”
“Lots of my fellow students think I’m just a natural. What they don’t know is that anyone can be really strong on the pull up bar if they just practice regularly over a long period of time. It’s that simple.”
“So” Johnny said, “if I practice regularly, I’ll get strong like you, right Jamal?
You Gotta Eat Right
“Well that’s the first and most important part of the strength recipe,” replied Jamal. “But there are three more things that we need to talk about here Johnny. First we need to talk about the things you eat. That’s really important too.”
“For example if you eat lots of junk food like chips, soda pop, fries, and candy you’ll be depriving your body of the nutrition it needs to get really strong. Not only that, junk food tends to make you overweight, even fat. And the more you weigh, the harder it is to pull your own weight…to do pull ups. So it’s really important that you eat the right foods if you really want to get strong. Understand Johnny?”
“Yah, I understand Jamal,” said Johnny. “So I should practice doing pull ups every week, eat right, and I’ll get strong just like you, right Jamal?
You Gotta Get Your Rest
“Hang on Johnny. There are still two more things we need to talk about. The next one is getting your rest. You see as important as regular practice, and good eating habits are, it’s also really important to get enough rest if you really want to get strong. See your body needs time to recover from work, that’s why you only practice pull-ups twice a week…three times at the most. If you do more than that you won’t recover enough to get really strong.”
“Not only that, but you have to get to bed at night in order to get enough sleep. Lots of kids try to stay up too late, and get up too early, and their bodies don’t get enough rest. They can’t build the muscles necessary to be strong. Got it?”
“Got it Jamal. But you said there’s one more thing, right? What is that?
And You Gotta Avoid Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs
“The last thing you need to know is that, even though lots of kids today think they’re cool, things like cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs make you weak. The fact is that anybody can smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and do drugs. That doesn’t take any talent.”
“But the kids that I know who are into that stuff, just get weaker, and weaker. In other words those kids can’t pull their own weight in any way. Not only that, they’re afraid to try for fear of failing, just like those kids who are embarrassed by being on the pull up bar. Their fear causes them to escape and to become weak in all kinds of ways.”
But if you practice regularly over a long period of time, eat right, get your rest, and stay away from things that make you weak, you will be a star at almost everything you do Johnny.”
You Mean I’ll Be Good At Everything?
“I’ll be good at everything? Will getting strong on the pull up bar make me better in other stuff too Jamal?”
“Good question Johnny” Jamal replied. And the answer is that the same habits that make you strong on the pull up bar like regular practice, good eating, and getting enough rest, will help make you strong at anything else that you really want to do. You just have to decide what’s important, practice regularly, eat right, get enough rest, and over time you’ll see those thin slices of progress piling up into big chunks of progress that will make you strong in all those things that you choose to do. And that’s called pulling your own weight in all kinds ways” he added.
“So now do you understand what I said about playing your cards, right Johnny? And do you understand that whether you become strong or weak is pretty much up to you? And do you also understand that it’s up to you to choose those things that’ll make you strong, and avoid those things that’ll make you weak.
The better you are at making those choices Johnny, the stronger you’ll be. Right?
“Got it” said Johnny with a great big smile.
“Now” Jamal said “let me show you how to work out on that pull up bar and you’ll be pulling your own weight before you know it.”
THE END
Sep
24
So, You Want To Be Bad?
Filed Under Childhood Obesity, Fitness Basics, Fitness Process & Techniques | Leave a Comment
Some Kids Want To Be Bad, But No Kids Want To Be Weak
One of the important strategies of Operation Pull Your Own Weight is to exchange the terms good and bad, for the terms strong and weak in your child’s vocabulary. Why you ask? In the seventeen years I spent teaching and coaching, I met plenty of kids who “wanted to be bad.” But I’ve never met even one who “wanted to be weak.” Have you?
Girls, Boys, All Ages…
That goes for girls as well as boys, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. Think about for a second, have you ever known anyone who actually wanted to be weak? Personally I’ve never known anyone, who ever knew anyone, who actually wanted to be weak. We all want to be strong. It’s just how human beings are programmed. And for most kids, being able to perform pull-ups is a sure sign of physical strength.
What Does It Take?
But what does it take to develop strength on the pull-up bar? According to the OPYOW recipe it takes…
* regular work (twice per week),
* eating right,
* getting enough rest,
* and avoiding tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
In other words we taught kids that if they worked out on the pull-up bar a couple times each week, ate right, got sufficient rest, and avoided tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, they’d get stronger on the pull-up bar. We also taught kids that if they failed to work out regularly, if they ate poorly, failed to get enough rest, and messed with tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, they were shooting themselves in the foot, and asking to be weak.
No Way! That’ll Make Me Weak!!!
In fact I had a kindergartner back in the Jefferson School days who, in front a class full of kids, looked up at me and said, “Coach, my uncle Freddie wanted me to smoke a cigarette with him last night, but I told him, “No way. That’ll make me weak.” I immediately gave this youngster five, as did his teacher, and the rest of his classmates who all understood that messing with tobacco, alcohol, and drugs make you weak! And as we said previously, none of these kids wanted to be weak in anything.
Readin’, Writin’, and Rithmatic Too…..
Interestingly enough, those same kids who want to avoid weakness on the pull-up bar, also want to avoid weakness in all other aspects of their lives too, including their academics. And interestingly enough the habits that make you strong on the pull-up bar are the exact same habits that make you strong in every other aspect of life as well. If you work at reading (writin’ or rithmatic) regularly, over a period of time, eat right, get plenty of rest, and avoid negative habits like tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, you’ll eventually be strong in reading (writin’ and rithmatic), taking it one step at a time.
In Conclusion…
In conclusion, done correctly, the lessons you teach on the pull-up bar carry over to all other aspects of a child’s life because, as we’ve said a number of times now, some of them may want to be bad, but none of them ever want to be weak. If you make your case in these terms, your kids understand, they’ll respond positively, and they will develop not only physical strength, but an inner strength and confidence (self esteem) in themselves and their ability to meet challenges, and to overcome obstacles. Is there a better lesson you can teach a child at a young age? Personally, I can’t think of one.
Sep
24
The National Institute of Medicine Weighs In With A Disturbing Report
Filed Under Childhood Obesity, Educators Fitness Info, Fitness Press | Leave a Comment
A Brief Summary of the National Institute of Medicine’s 9/10/06 Report…
http://www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/36/984/11722_reportbrief.pdf
The Full Report…
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11722.html#toc
Sep
24
OPYOW Speakers
Filed Under Childhood Obesity, Educators Fitness Info | Leave a Comment
If you need someone to give a presentation to your group on the topic of Operation Pull Your Own Weight, the following people are available.
Rick Osbourne: Call 630-495-3445 or email Osbourne.rick@gmail.com
Sep
24
Sponsorship Opportunities
Filed Under Childhood Obesity | Leave a Comment
Operation Pull Your Own Weight:
In Search of Corporate Sponsors
A successful Childhood Obesity Prevention strategy must be simple, understandable, practical, affordable, and above all, MEASURABLE. But despite all the media attention this issue has generated over the last several years, the strategy with those qualities apparently has yet to surface, and has yet to be implemented, because childhood obesity continues to grow unabated, like a forest fire raging out of control.
The Kids Thought OPYOW Was “Cool”
In the light of that forest fire, I’d like to introduce you to a childhood obesity prevention strategy called Operation Pull Your Own Weight (OPYOW) that is simple, understandable, practical, affordable, and infinitely measurable. Not only that, but OPYOW has four years of experience working in the trenches with at-risk-kids, that demonstrates its viability and its acceptability to kids at the elementary school level. In other words, kids saw OPYOW as “cool,” and they actively wanted to participate.
Seeking Corporate Sponsors
The details of OPYOW have been spelled out on www.pullyourownweight.net, a web site dedicated to IMMUNIZING KIDS AGAINST OBESITY FOR A LIFETIME that I’d encourage you to explore. I’m currently in the process of soliciting corporate sponsors who would be interested in trumpeting the virtues of being able to Pull Your Own Weight to kids from sea to shining sea, while resolving a huge, international problem, saving our nation and others hundreds of billions of dollars, and creating some extremely positive ink for themselves in the process.
For Details, Check Out The Web Site
If this note has piqued your curiosity, please check out the web site for Operation Pull Your Own Weight (www.pullyourownweight.net). Then call or email me if you’re interested in discussing the possibilities further. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Rick Osbourne
Executive Director
Operation Pull Your Own Weight
630-495-3445
osbourne.rick@gmail.com
Sep
24
About…
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About Rick Osbourne…
Rick Osbourne is a former Physical Educator who spent seventeen years in the teaching ranks. Four of those years he spent designing, organizing, implementing, and overseeing Operation Pull Your Own Weight at Jefferson Elementary School in Davenport, IA. For the past decade he’s made his living by writing professionally.
Osbourne earned his BA (Physical Education and Journalism) at Northern Illinois University, his MA (Sports History and Philosophy) at Western Illinois University, and he did post graduate work (Sports History and Philosophy) at Arizona State University. He’s been married for 33 years, and with his wife and kids, has lived in the western suburbs of Chicago for over two decades.
Sep
24
Contact…
Filed Under Childhood Obesity | Leave a Comment
Rick Osbourne
Executive Director
Operation Pull Your Own Weight
630-495-3445
Sep
24
The PYOW Blog
Filed Under Childhood Obesity | Leave a Comment
For regular commentary, and the opportunity to interact with the old coach check out…
Sep
21
The Wall A, Wall B Explaination
Filed Under Childhood Obesity, Educators Fitness Info, Fitness Basics | Leave a Comment
It’s Real Simple
| The Simple, Preventative Solution To Childhood Obesity That Doesn’t Require A Book Here, in a nutshell, is the conceptual foundation for this simple, natural, functional, and infinitely measurable solution to the childhood obesity epidemic in this country. And if you understand it, you can probably figure out how to proceed to a successful end without ever reading the remainder of this book. Check it out. Wall A, Wall B Story
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