Dancing Tsar

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/12045 0/I-ll-make-Britain-fit-says-new-dancing-tsar- Arlene

Appointment of a new 'Dancing Tsar', a good idea, or yet another pathetic New Labour gimmick?

[BertiWooster]

Britain is sitting on a potential time bomb , with respect to a growing obesity problem ; with all the resulting consequences for people , in terms of heart disease/ diabetes etc

Just look around you - it is self evident .

You can play it two ways - do nothing or try and encourage people to do something about it .
Excercise can contribute to becoming healthier .

So - do you consider that encouraging people to do something about their health problems is pathetic ?

[Gromit]

It is both a gimmick and a good idea.

Obesity is a big problem, and treating its effects will cost us �Billions. Much better to treat the cause - lack of exercise. Dance is a fun way of burning calories so to encourage people to dance is a good idea.

Ms Phillips has been a dance instructor for donkey's years and is also a Z list celebrity, so is ideal for the job.

[LazyGun]

Estimates suggest that Obesity is running at around 25% or so in the UK - and increasing.

Obesity is recognised as being a significant co -morbidity factor in many of the largest killers, like cardiac disease, diabetes, joint disorders etc.
This increase in Obesity comes despite the best efforts of Govt and the health industry over the last 2 decades.

Should we just ignore the growing obesity problem?. Or is it right that a responsible govt. seeks functional strategies to combat the problem?

We know that many people will slavishly follow or adopt views and lifestyles of celebrity. Strictly Come Dancing has proved to be an immensely popular programme to the population ( although I am not a fan).

So, we have a celebrity the public like, from an extremely popular show, and we know that the public are far more likely to pay attention to a celebrity than official guidance.

Seems like a worthwhile experiment to me, combining the 2.

[J�tte]

She always comes across as intelligent and caring and has probably found her true home with the government. She is a lady I very much admire.

[anotheoldgit]

Some good answers, yes totally agree obesity is a big problem, and getting more exercise is only just one part of a solution.

There are numerous medical reasons why some people are obese, and a similar number of medical conditions that prevents a person from doing exercise.

Now we come to the Government's solution, short of making exercise compulsery, ie setting aside part of the day for those in the work place, and rounding up each day those that don't work, how could they get some people to exercise?

If it was left entirely to the individual, the only people who would take it up, would be those who already exercise or dance. I mean do you ever see a fat person jogging? No they are mainly matchstick people, some who just like to pose, in their designer gear, complete with the obligatory sweat band around their heads.

Much better to attack the problem from the food chain end. They have made smoking an unsociable habit, by introducing various measures, they are now well on the way to do the same regarding alcohol, so why not now food?

Ban all advertising of confectionery, junk food and fast food, limit the number of fast food outlets to start with, followed by a total ban on some of the most fattening foods.

Somewhat extreme you may say, but only a shot time ago, would anyone believe they could have banned smoking in the great British pub?