I was asked to speak at a Boy Scout round table last night about the Cycling merit badge. It was a lot of fun and we had a great discussion about how to get the boys more active and spend less time on the computer and video games. The cycling merit badge is a fun and rewarding way to get fit. Click here for the requirements. The capstone requirement is a 50 mile ride in 8 hours or less. Ryan earned his cycling merit badge this past year. It was fun to work on it together, and a great accomplishment that built his confidence. (not to mention bragging rights!)In preparing for the class, I learned some things about the challenges facing our youth (and adults) regarding fitness and being over weight. From the September issue of Scouting magazine in an article entitled "Fat Chance", Mary Jacobs quoted some alarming statistics. "Body Mass Index (BMI) data collected from applications to the 2010 National Scout Jamboree show that 41 percent of the youth were overweight or obese; among the adults a staggering 77.5 percent were overweight, obese, or morbidly obese." She goes on further to state that Scouting is raising the bar by encouraging responsibility. "Bottom line, if you're overweight, you can't attend Philmont Scout Ranch, Florida Sea Base, or Northern Tier High Adventure Base." I'm glad the scouting organization is giving us all some tough love.
I know my doctor had been telling me for years to loose some weight My BMI says I'm over weight (how rude!) This year I finally committed to doing what it takes to get the weight off and keep it off - for me that means I have to do some sort of exercise every day. I really have to plan ahead and look for ways to get it in. Most of the time I can make it work, but it hasn't been easy. When I reach my goal, I will be in the "normal" range for my height.
If you would like me to speak to your organization about cycling, I would be happy to do it!
