Change is a catalyst

Change is a catalyst.

Growing up in Chicago, and then later living most of my adult life in other big cities around the world, the outdoors, particularly rural or country settings held a strong appeal for me.

Perhaps it was that I associated them with vacation. My mom and dad couldn't afford to take all of us kids (think Brady Bunch, but bigger) on trips with airplanes and hotels, so we went camping. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of sleeping outside, under the stars.

Even now, when I see the amazing display of stars in the northern Michigan night sky (or early morning, as it were) I can't help feeling like I'm on vacation, because that's the only time I ever really saw stars in the sky. Let me tell you that's a great feeling to have every day when you get up and go to work when it's still dark out.

Now that I have my own family I find myself in a similar position. Traveling with five children, orchestrating travel and accommodations for everybody carries a pretty hefty tab, especially since I'm pretty snobby when it comes to hotels, planes and restaurants.

Out of equal parts self preservation and nostalgia I have endeavored to create a family culture of embracing the outdoors, nature and associated activities.

When it came to pass that decision had been made to leave the city for Northwest Michigan one of the most exciting prospects was that participating in our chosen outdoor sports would no longer involve packing up and driving several hours, or in the case of my daughters, loading horses on to trailers and hauling out. The venue for all our favorite pastimes would be right in our own back yard, literally. Not only that, we reasoned, we would be living in a place populated by other outdoor enthusiasts, people who were fit and healthy by virtue of robust outdoor activities.

Au Contraire. Turns out Michigan ranks as the state with the third highest percentage of adults with obesity and that child obesity is higher than any other state.

"In the past decade, the United States has seen a 60% increase in adult obesity, with almost two-thirds of adults being overweight; while over the last 20 years the number of overweight children and adolescents has doubled and tripled respectively." According to the U.S. Surgeon General, "overweight and obesity may soon cause as much preventable disease and death as cigarette smoking."

"The problem is particularly acute in Michigan, which has been one of the ten heaviest states for the past 14 years (61% of adults and 11% of children are overweight), and currently ranks among the top four states in the prevalence of unhealthy weight."

LANSING, MI - A study released today from the University of Michigan shows that Michigan children are heavier than children from the rest of the nation. In addition, Michigan has a larger number of children than expected who are overweight and obese. Thirty-three percent of Michigan girls and 34% of Michigan boys are classified as overweight. Eighteen percent of girls between the ages of 12-18 and 19% of boys between the ages of 12-19 were evaluated as obese.

It is inconceivable to me that one, living smack in the middle of one of the most prolific agricultural areas in the upper Midwest, with fresh produce, fruit, poultry, meat and game at hand, one would choose instead to eat fast food, pre packaged meals and the like.

WASHINGTON - Nearly every single possible combination of the children's meals at KFC, Taco Bell, Burger King, McDonalds, Sonic, Jack in the Box, and Chick-fil-A is too high in calories, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, which today released the results of an investigation into the nutritional quality of kids' meals at 13 top restaurant chains. Ninety-three percent of 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains exceed 430 calories - an amount that is one-third of what the Institute of Medicine recommends that children aged four through eight should consume in a day. Not only that, but to subject your children to this sort of diet, and to allow the kind of sedentary lifestyle I have observed in a large percentage of today's video game playing, soda drinking, Twinkie eating kids borders on criminal.

We are raising an entire generation of fat kids! Oh man I know that that is so Un-PC, but this is the future we are talking about.

It's just one more reason to embrace locally grown and produced items. The cornerstone to a healthy diet is eating foods as close to their natural state as possible. Un frozen, un processed, un added to, un preserved. Have you ever seen a pop tart in its natural state?

Summer is here! Each passing day brings another addition to the already obscene amount of fresh foods available to us. Asparagus, tomatoes, lettuces and greens. Pastured chickens, naturally fed pork and beef. Soon there will be sweet sweet corn, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, zucchini, radishes, kale and chard.

Just by availing oneself exclusively of what's available locally, one could make a significant change for the better, dietary wise, for self and family alike while at the same time supporting the local economy, keeping your hard earned dollars circulating in local commerce, sparing the environment the additional strain caused by shipping and transportation issues, hydrocarbons, non renewable petro resources.

Very best of all it tastes better and it's the right thing to do.

Get your kids out there and take advantage of where we live. Shoo them off the couch, and lock them outside. Make them walk or ride a bike instead of driving. Hell, with gas prices what they are this shouldn't be a tough argument.

Habits formed now will last the rest of their lives. Parenting is hard, and I've sure made my share of mistakes ( and am still making them) I wouldn't dare try to tell anyone else how to raise their kids, but this one seems like a no brainer.

Study after study proves that healthy active kids are more successful in school, have higher self esteem, and mind their parents. (ok I made that last one up, but it stands to reason, right? )

Long time residents may be inured to the spectacular natural beauty that surrounds us, but speaking as a new comer (relatively) I personally can't get over it, and neither should you. We are lucky to live here, make the most of it.

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