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In my case it's vanity that finally got me to lose weight. And, although still a little displeased with my shape, concerned about what my Polar heart monitor tells me when I run, and ranking as modestly "overweight" on the BMI, I'm relatively pleased to be fitter. Others apparently need more or alternate incentive, so the medical industry is coming to our rescue as pointed out in this Globe and Mail item (Fat is the new tobacco: Heart and Stroke Foundation) and another from the London Telegraph (Doctors warn of obesity time bomb). Having all but won the war on smoking, we turn our attention to another not exactly-burning platform. [Anyone who doesn't believe that smoking and obesity are connected at least a little bit ought to go to Paris where they're born with a chimney and a croissant changes their body weight until metabolized. ed.]
This is good. Good for society; good for Dr. Phil, for the Duchess of York, for Slimfast, for Atkins, for all kinds of exercise equipment flacks . . .
But, I say while we've got the problem, we should use it to do good. "Hey," you say, "do you think there could be a symbiotic socio-economic activity that might alleviate the obesity problem and do some economic good?" Well I'm glad you asked. As it it turns out, I took a run at this a few years ago [man it's hard being that far in front of the curve all the time . . . ed.] in a little piece I wrote. Here's a snip:
Weíre too fat because we overeat and under-exercise. It could be different were there more incentive to change. But while the primary motivators are appeals to individual health consciousness and vanity there will never be enough incentive for most people to lose weight. Part of the problem is that those most able to influence society support obesity. Change that and you can change the Canadian fitness level. Enter Robert Milton.Now that's synergy! Posted by Grayson at February 11, 2004 07:48 AMMilton assured us he would fix Air Canada in just 180 days. Since he isnít providing much value to anyone these daysónot his investors, customers, employees, or the country at largeómaybe he could save Canada from the blubber bomb. Maybe even in 180 days.
Itís a simple plan. The thrust is to change the incentive structure for fitness, placing it on the shoulders of Corporate Canada, using Air Canada as the lever to a greater good.
Air travel is the most effective way to travel distances. It is also most heavily trafficked by business travelers, making corporate travel budgets a substantial portion of the cost of doing business. So organizations have been working hard to reign in this expense. Now imagine the possibilities, were the cost to fly based on weightólike other cargo.
This and more available on one of my content pages.