Fat to fit: how Finland did it (30 yrs ago Finns were the unfittest

[Hoping4Change]

people in the world, now they are the fittest.) An amazing article on many levels.

snip


"From the start, the Finnish plans benefited by shifting money away from Helsinki to local authorities and making them responsible for exercise promotion. Obvious outcomes were cheap, clean swimming pools, ball parks, and well-maintained snow parks such as the one in Tampere. But less obvious were what medics might refer to as "unusual interventions ".



snip


"...teams went to the pubs, spoke to (middle-aged men who just drank) and negotiated what they might be interested in doing as exercise. "Nearly 2, 000 men in one region were either lent bikes and taken on tours, tempted into a swimming pool, or had a shot at ball games or cross-country skiing. "It was about getting ideas that would work at that kind of local level, "says Vuori. "Success relied upon it. "


snip


"Young Finland " was set up to get even the most unsporting kids into sport. "What we saw happening was that the weakest, the least skilled and the most overweight were the ones dropping out of sports early and they are precisely the ones who need it most, "says Vuori. To tackle the problem, the scheme sought to dampen the competitive nature of sports. Goals went uncounted, victories uncelebrated and winning teams unpromoted. Though it may take some of the dread out of games afternoon for some, it's a strategy that hasn't been met with universal support. "Some people doubt how far we can take that, but it functions on some scale at least, "says Vuori.


snip


"Local competitions were combined with sweeping nationwide changes in legislation. All forms of tobacco advertising were banned outright. Farmers were all but forced to produce low-fat milk or grow a new variety of oilseed rape bred just for the region that would make domestic vegetable oil widely available for the first time. Previously, farmers had been paid for meat and dairy on the basis of the product's fat content. The changes recognised the flaw and linked payment instead to how much protein the produce contained. "



snip


"In Finland, regardless of your political views, we are quite obedient, we are trustful of the state and the media. But people are also well-educated, they hear the messages we put out and they know they are sensible, "says Vuori.





http://www.guardian.co.uk/befit/story/0,15652,1385645,00.html

[bobweaver]

1. All that hanky-panky in the sauna helps a lot too.

[Hoping4Change]

3. LOL Hadn't thought ot that. You're probable on to something.

You know they beat each with birch branches in those steamy pits.:evilgrin:

[aquart]

2. Make bicycles possible.

There's no room in my apartment even if I could carry it up two flights, it's illegal in the hall, and it got vandalized on the street.

I now have to take public transportation where I used to bicycle.

[Hoping4Change]

4. Not having safe storage is SO EVIL. I couldn't live without biking.

Unless its well below freezing I do a daily 16 mile commute to work. Lucky for me my apartment has a room for bikes.

[aquart]

8. Adopt me.

[Blue_Tires]

5. good piece

[AndyTiedye]

6. I Like the Brazilian Solution

> In Brazil, communities have been promoting activities based around dancing.

Dancing can be very good exercise.

This is also an excellent solution to the problem of the competitiveness
of sports turning people into couch-potatoes.

Finns love to dance too, and they produce some of the wildest and
craziest psytrance in the world.

For that matter, American kids would be in much better shape if they
were allowed more opportunities to dance. Usually, the only legal
dance venues are nightclubs, which are off-limits to kids because they
serve alcohol.

[Selatius]

9. I should've known Brazilians would've chosen dancing

They have a flair for that kind of thing. They're so passionate.

[AndyTiedye]

7. Why Must Exercise for Kids Always Be Sports?

"Young Finland " was set up to get even the most unsporting kids into sport.

The inherent fallacy here is to equate exercise with sports.

"What we saw happening was that the weakest, the least skilled and the most overweight were the ones dropping out of sports early

Did this actually surprise anybody? That happens everywhere.

and they are precisely the ones who need it most,

Need exercise, yes. Need the trashed self-esteem and everything else
that goes with trying and trying and failing miserably, no.

the scheme sought to dampen the competitive nature of sports. Goals went uncounted, victories uncelebrated and winning teams unpromoted. Though it may take some of the dread out of games afternoon for some, it's a strategy that hasn't been met with universal support.

Sports are competitive by definition. Why not promote non-competitive
physical activites too?