Last week, in a Wall Street Journal article entitled “Girls and Dieting, Then and Now,” Jeffrey Zazlow discusses the pressures on fourth grade girls to be thin. Though his dialogue actually began in 1986 after studies in Chicago and LA were carried out, weight-focused pressures on young girls are even stronger today than in the earlier decade. Sadly, he mentions that a preoccupation with body image can show up in children as young as age five. The country’s ever-growing percentage of obese children is not helping matters, either. Increased awareness of this medical condition appears to leave children even more obsessed with their weight.

As I mention in the early pages of my book, I, too, was obsessed with being thin at a young age. In high school, my friends and I spent hours examining our butts and guts, wishing for a flat belly when we viewed our profile in the mirror. Though I wasn’t the slightest bit overweight, I still found it necessary to try all-fruit and all-liquid diets. When I did gain weight in college, 25 pounds to be exact, it wasn’t a fad diet that helped me drop the weight. It was moderation and other healthy habits that did the trick.

In today’s culture, being skinny is highly regarded and body images re formulated by photo-shopped body parts on magazine covers. As such, the line between obesity and eating disorders will likely grow thinner and thinner.

At some point, the emphasis on being thin should take a backseat to other personal values which instill self-esteem and self-worth in children, and adults, too, for that matter. The name of the game is feeling good, and feeling good about yourself. Managing weight is an outcome of taking good care of your body and respecting your own well-being.

How many of you have watched “The Biggest Loser” on TV? I have to admit I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard of a lot of folks who are addicted to the show. The question is: after you watch it, are you inspired to go exercise?

I spoke to the Director of Health and Welfare for the State of Idaho, Dick Armstrong, yesterday; and he is perplexed by what motivates people to get fit. In his opinion, shows like the aforementioned do not. He even referenced an article in the Statesman yesterday which discussed making fitness fun. According to Wanlass, the article’s author and subject, “Engaging in activities that are fun will keep you feeling young, energetic and, most importantly, keep you consistent.”

I agree with him, in theory. But the problem is the target audience. In the article, he recommends three drills to inspire fun: 3-Pointer drill (for people who like/play basketball, presumably), Kick and Sprint drill (for those people who are capable of kicking a soccer ball, myself not among them), and a Box drill (not sure for whom).

So for people who already play basketball or soccer, these are some great suggestions. In fact, if you play these sports, you may already practice drills like these anyway.

But like a wrinkle cream advertisement that pictures a model in her twenties, have you got the right basic strategy with flawed execution? (It’s hard to escape all the marketing lingo).

According to Mr. Armstrong, about 20% of the universe is addicted to fitness, or at least willing/interested in exercising. It’s the 80% of the world that needs convincing. That needs motivation to change and adopt healthier habits.

Are drills targeted to athletes appealing to the 20% or the 80%? In my opinion, not only are the drills targeted to the 20%, but they will in no way convince someone in the 80% group to exercise at all.

And that gets us back to the Biggest Loser, a show, which on the surface, is more for entertainment than inspiration. What is that trigger, or that “fun activity,” which motivates someone who is not fit to become fit? Does it take a chronic disease to spawn action, or can inspiration be found prior to a life-changing event?

I am still contemplating that one.

What’s the motivation for individuals to nurture their own health and well-being? After some research I recently carried out, as well as conversations I have had with leaders in the health and wellness field, I am sharing my thoughts on the matter.

Money/Rewards – Someone told me earlier this year that government incentives would be required for individuals to take wellness seriously. That is, a commitment to preventive care and healthy habits would result in monetary compensation. Being penalized, versus paid, doesn’t seem to be working. In lots of cases, individuals with higher and higher deductibles may just drop health insurance altogether, regardless of how well they make take care of themselves.

Another potential payer is employers. It certainly behooves companies to have healthy, productive employees; so why not reward them for staying well? And not just a certificate that says “nice job,” like the ones I used to get in elementary school when I didn’t miss a single day of school during the year. These programs, to garner attention and support, tend to need some sort of competition/reward component to them. Recognition of a job well done – done better than others – may be more meaningful than money to some. There’s different strokes for different folks.

Your health depends on it – For a lot of people, chronic illness may force a behavior change. Whether the issue is obesity, diabetes, hypertension or other illness, oftentimes it takes doctor’s orders to amend the way you eat, breath and live.

But do doctor’s orders always work? Last year, one of my best friends from high school died. She had been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes in the 7^th grade. One of the dearest souls in the world, she never took very good care of herself. I personally helped her ingest or inject insulin many times during bouts with low blood sugar and insulin shock, ones  almost always triggered by a lack of eating properly. After years of hardship on her body, her kidneys and heart gave up. Unfortunately, this was one case where doctor’s orders weren’t enough.

Your family – A little encouragement from Mom and Dad, or perhaps incentive from a sibling, can influence people in dramatic ways. By setting a good example as a parent, children are more likely to develop good habits? Right? Well, maybe.  Recent research by Johns Hopkins found little a week correlation between parents’ and children’s eating habits.

You were born a health nut – For some individuals, the instinct to stay healthy and feel good comes from within. Eating junk and being a slave to the couch simply aren’t options. These folks don’t need the government, their employer, their doctor or family to motivate them.

Perhaps if scientists could de-code the genetic make-up of health nuts, we’d have a happier, healthier world. And less of a healthcare crisis on our hands.  Or maybe even some in-depth market research on the matter would help.