Four 4 years at Jefferson Elementary School in Davenport, IA I designed, organized, coordinated, and promoted a childhood obesity prevention, self esteem enhancement program called Operation Pull Your Own Weight. The program was successful in a variety of ways, and you can read about them in a variety of places.
But for the record, there were seven basic presumptions upon which OPYOW was built, and anyone attempting to duplicate the program should be aware of them. Without further ado here are the seven fundamental presumptions of OPYOW.
1. Some kids take pride in being bad. But none take pride in being weak. We presumed that all kids, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or economic status, want to be strong in everything. No exceptions.
2. We presumed that anything perceived as a privilege (i.e. going to a movie or a ball game) is more highly valued than anything perceived as an obligation (i.e. doing your homework, cleaning your room, taking the garbage out, washing the dishes). A privilege is something you get to do, an obligation is something you have to do, and privileges are always better than obligations.
3. Being able to perform pull ups is always associated with being relatively strong and relatively light. And if handled correctly kids can learn to value pull ups as a privilege, an opportunity to get stronger, instead of an obligation to embarrass and humiliate themselves in front of their friends.
4. Kids who can perform pull ups are NEVER OBESE.
5. Kids who are obese CAN NEVER PERFORM PULL UPS.
6. Using a height adjustable pull up bar and a technique called leg assisted pull ups, almost any kid can learn to perform pull ups in a predictable amount of time.
7. If it’s true that kids who can do pull ups are never obese, and almost any kid can learn to perform pull ups, then it’s irrefutably true that almost any kid can learn to immunize themselves against obesity for a lifetime by learning and maintaining the ability to perform pull ups.
If you’re an educator looking to initiate an OPYOW program at your school, your park district, your Boys and Girls Club, your YMCA/YWCA, or your church, these seven presumptions should be kept in mind. They represent the framework within which a successful OPYOW program is built.
Rick Osbourne is a Chicago based writer who currently serves as Executive Director of Operation Pull Your Own Weight, an informational web site that’s dedicated to naturally immunizing kids against obesity for a lifetime without pills, shots, or special diets. If you’re interested in childhood obesity then check out either http://www.pullyourownweight.com, or http://www.pullyourownweight.net any time. Osbourne is also a public speaker, and he’s recently published a book entitled “Operation Pull Your Own Weight: A Radically Simple Solution to Childhood Obesity,” (on the web site) that provides practical minded parents and educators with a simple, functional, affordable, and infinitely measurable antidote to childhood obesity. Osbourne can be reached by email at Osbourne.rick@gmail.com
