Government encourages people to get fit
(CNS): As Cayman joins the region in marking Caribbean Nutrition Day first designated on 1 June 1 in 2005 by the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, health officials are highlighting the benefits of healthy eating and an active lifestyle. With diseases related to unhealthy lifestyles placing the greatest pressure on the country’s healthcare systems the authorities are sending out the message of eating right and keeping fit. There are many physical, mental, and social benefits to a physically active lifestyle, including stress management, improved heart health, lower body weight and body fat, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of diabetes, some cancers and osteoporosis, or brittle bones.
The theme for this year’s nutrition day is theme “Healthy Eating and Active Living: Do a Variety of Physical Activity Today and Every Day” is in line with the “Be Fit Cayman” wellness campaign. This theme encourages all sectors of the Caribbean population to be physically active throughout a variety of leisure time, occupational and household activities, transportation, sports and structured exercise.
Physical activity is any movement produced by skeletal muscles that uses energy. It varies by intensity (e.g. light, moderate, or vigorous), duration, frequency, and type of activity. We will differ in our needs for physical activity depending on our age, health condition, and personal goals.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults exercise aerobically at least 30 minutes most days of the week in addition to strengthening muscles. When it comes to kids, experts recommend an accumulation of 60 minutes of structured activity daily to help develop motor skills, such as practicing throwing and kicking a ball, dance, gymnastics, or learning to ride a bike or swim. This should go along side at least 60 minutes and up to several hours of free play daily (running, jumping, skipping, climbing, chasing etc.). Except when sleeping kids should not be inactive for more than 60 minutes at a time
Kids over six and into their teens should also be engaging in 60 minutes aerobic activity daily, including muscle strengthening activity such as gymnastics, push-ups, and bone strengthening activity like jumping rope, running three times per week.
People aged 18 to 64 are encouraged to take at least 2 ½ hours per week of moderate intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, including muscle strengthening or 1 ¼ hours per week of vigorous intensity aerobic activity such as jogging, swimming, cycling including muscle strengthening lifting weights, resistance training) 2 days per week. For those over 65 experts say if they can manage the two and half hours they should also undergo the same type of exercise or as much physical activity to improve muscle strength and balance 2 or more days per week as they can manage.
Meanwhile, eating fresh health food is vitally important and for the first time this weekend Little Cayman will be showing off its home grown produce at the inaugural Little Cayman Agriculture Show.
Category: Health
I like the picture. a 1 legged woman on a treadmill. Sir Turtles daughter perhaps?
I wish these phantom complainers who can "barely put food on the table" would get off their keesters and thin out the flocks of wild chickens here. There is plenty for everyone!
They said: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults exercise aerobically at least 30 minutes most days of the week in addition to strengthening muscles.
Question: Do you really think they can finish all the food they eat in less than 30 minutes?????
They should be bodybuilders by now!!! lol
This is the JOKE of the year, right?!?!?
Yeh lets turn the LA into a gym. We could call it LA fitness. I mean seriously government? Let pass a law to say MLA's must have a weight proportional to height and see how many we got left!
What a bunch of comedians!
Turn off the elevators in the government adiministration building.
That would be a good start by the politicians, they could lead by example and start using the stairs.
Hmmmmm, it that were done, I would bet a lot of money that certain offices would be moved to the ground floor.
Start with the MLA's.
The good Lord knows, they need some nutrition guidance.
Government is supremely hypocritical.
Two cases come to mind immediately and if I dwell on the issue for more than a few seconds I am sure many more will come to mind:
1. Over the years there has been an increasingly diminishing emphasis on physical education in the public education system.
2. Government actually pays for young people to be unfit, as anyone who has had the misfortune to drive on the main roads of Cayman Brac in the morning or afternoon behind the school bus can testify. One would think that all of the young passengers are disabled and unable to walk – the bus stops at what seems to be every 50 feet or so to drop off each student virtually at their doorstep. Passing is all but impossible on the narrow road and the line of vehicles creeping along behind the bus looks like the funeral motorcade for a head of state. Judging by the girth of some of the kids emerging from the bus, about the only exercise they get is when they use their thumbs to text their friends. It sure looked to me like they could use a brisk walk to and from school.
The money that government squandered on free parking lot paving could have paid for building a decent sidewalk system on the Brac's main roads and thus encourage walking by all segments of the populace. Building sidewalks is something that I would think all Brackers would have been on board with, and it would have been a responsible thing to do. Sadly Mac and Ms. Julianna are not characterised by encouraging responsible spending.
New sidewalks would have played well into Juile's well worn yah-yah spiel about having to walk 36 miles each way to school on a dirt road without shoes and while carrying her younger siblings on her back. She really missed an opportunity here.
Building sidewalks would have make driving safer on the Brac because it would eliminate all the hedges and walls and things that people have built right to the edge of the pavement and well into the government-owned 50 foot wide right-of-way. Entering the road from a side road or parking lot or driveway with these visual obstructions blocking your view of traffic is taking your life in your hands. In many cases you have to go beyond the line of obstruction with your vehicle protruding well into the road before you can see oncoming traffic. There is an accident waiting to happen here. Knocking down these obstructons to build a nice sidewalk would improve safety. If I ever get hit on Cayman Brac while trying to enter a road with a view obscured by privately placed visual obstructions erected or growing on the government right-of-way land I shall sue the Cayman Islands Government and I will win. Government should not allow people to maintain obstructions on a public right-of-way.
Speaking of sidewalks, the Development and Planning Law the defines “development” as the carrying out of building, engineering or other operations in, on, over or under any land". Would this not include paving operations in, on, over or under any land"?
If one were to argue that the parking lots were "grandfathered in" it is my understanding that not all the land areas recently paved were previously designated to be parking areas for the respective properties in the original planning applications. I doubt that the law would exclude paving works over a previous marl area in any case. I question whether planning permission has been granted these new "development" works. If not, why not? If planning applications were tendered, it is my understanding that the planning department in Cayman Brac requires sidewalks in regard to site plans for non-residential projects. Why were sidewalks not included in the new paving schemes? (These points are good ones for CNS to investigate.)
Government promoting fitness? What a crock of bullcrap! Hypocrites!
Planning Law does not apply to Cayman Brac. (This is nto a snarky comment, it is the law. look it up.)
I look forward to seeing Mac, Julianna, Dwayne & the countless other obese leaders take the lead
Excuses Excuses, all of them
Our ancestors were never this big – simple
They are a disgrace
'caymans obese politicians encourage people to get fit'…………zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
WHAT IS THE NUMBER 1 DRUG IN THE WEST INDIES?
Sugar
From time you develop your daughters and sons to consume sugar from a young age, you have practically ruin their lives and self-esteem when they have become obese. That's why whenever there is candy in my house, it under lock and key. I am the one who rewards my kids sweets. They just can't raid the covered and consume the candies or go in thr fridge and drink juice all they want. Sorry…. juice is only for dinner. Drink water! And you want to consume sweets, here…. eat as much mango, banana and oranges as you like! And there is diabetes the silent killer that takes hold of you when you become an elderly person.
I agree that we need to keep sweets and candy away from our kids. So whenever we have candy in the house I just eat them all before the kids find them.. yummy.. I like to eat mangoes too..
addict!!
Oh dear god! You should spend less time locking up the sweets and more time studying and improving your written (and probably) spoken English. THEN you can set an example and advise your children. What do you weigh?
Sugar intake is only one variable that contributes to consuming more calories than your body can burn. Portion education and moderate regular exercise is the key. Vegetables should be the largest part of your diet with starches like Rice and Beans and meat the smallest portions on your plate. If anyone wants to get serious, contact one of the fine accreditted nutritionists on the island. YOU WILL SEE RESULTS! I HAVE!
I know I never let my kids eat sugary things, i only let them eat sticks of lard, which contains no sugar! it's just wierd that they are still obeses
maybe sugar is only a small part of the picture. eat to many mangoes and you will still get fat.
calorie control and exercise are always the answer, burn more than you consume.
It the law of thermodynamics
i wonder how many people are really going to be able to do this well most of us "locals" are barely able to put food on our tables so watching our intake of carbs an calories (check) we all gonna soon be walking and hitching becuz big mac could care less about the fuel prices instead of these luxury trips he an julianna take maybe they should be flying to venizsula an have a few meetings with chavez !!!!!! anyway we are / will be burning extra calories here too so yea i think we can do this heck we already are now i cant wait til election time !!! the fat cats will get cut down to size (check)
did you say 'big mac' mmmmmmm I lub big macs.
Education is key. Too true that I see sugary-fruit-punch as a staple drink for the young and old alike. My family drinks water! I stopped juice boxes with my children before the age of three when I found out how harmful that much sugar can be for a child.
My six year old is learning to read and scours my grocery cart for "High Fructose Corn Syrup" and points it out if it is on any packaging (it goes back on the shelf! *they really hide that poison in stuff).
This was NOT a hard adjustment to our lives. We prefer non-processed foods, more fresh vegatables, whole grains, lean meats, and try to follow a low glycemic diet (diabetes runs in my father's side, so why take chances?)
You know what? My children now refuse sweets and only indulge on occassion at birthday parties. It is true, and they don't seem to mind at all! It wasn't that hard and it's not too late. $ave a lot of money on the processed foods, send good lunches to school, and be healthy. Good luck.
(PS, we are not health freaks and could use to lose a few pounds too. I look forward to a govt sponsored family fitness program, we will join!)
Here is a genuine idea!
Govt could measure peoples body fat… If you are over weight you get taxed the same % that you are over weight by.
This would generate new revenue for the country and save money because I think a lot of people would lose the weight pretty quick thus reducing their chance of obesity related diseases.
Lmao thats too funny Government encourages people to loose weight lets see which dept Will they start with first.
Well, if the CIG has their way, the people will have no choice but to get fit…they won't be able to afford to EAT…oh, wait..maybe this is some sort of secret government plan…."make things so expensive that the massess can't afford to eat, then they will get skinnier and healthier..and in the end they will THANK US…"…
Cayman's Motto: "Drive Home and Eat your way to Success"
Ha, ha,ha, ha – perhaps some elected officials need to lead by example! Whoops – guess that's not really something they do anyway……..