Stress affects people in different ways. There's that fight or flight thing, where you can confront a problem or rush headlong into it to challenge it.
But in Japan, the on-going fears associated with radiation in the northeastern areas of the country are showing that the best means to confront it are through eating.
By best, Japan - It's A Wonderful Rife means 'best' for the people concerned who have no other idea how to worry about the problem.
Following the March 11, 2011 twin disasters of the 9.9 Magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that smashed into the Dai-ichi power generating nuclear reactor in Fukushima-ken causig it to go off line and nearly (NEARLY) suffer multiple nuclear meltdowns, the reactor did throw up copious amounts of radiation into the air, water and ground.
It's the radiation contamination that has the people in Fukushima very concerned about their long-term prospects regarding health and welfare.
And... while people such as myself tend to eat more and exercise less when stressed, he swears he knows at least one person who says she tends to eat more when she is happy.
But in Japan, because of the ongoing concerns of nuclear radiation in the Fukushima area, people and children have been warned NOT to spend a lot of time outside.
Having been a junior high school assistant English teacher on the JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Programme, I saw students spend a hell of a lot of time outside doing various club activities at school and just being kids having fun playing outside.
Evidence is brewing that because of restrictions on the amount of time being allowed to be outside, Fukushima's kids are getting fatter... and I don't think it's because they are happy.
According to Japan's Education Ministry, after conducting a 2012 survey noting the heights and weights of some 700,000 school kids bewteen the ages of 5-17, it says that the Fukushima kids rated the highest for obesity between the ages of 7-13.
This smacks in the face of the prefecture only being the most obese for kids in the 15-year-old age bracket - actually, the report said Grade 10, but 15 is the average age in Grade 10.
The study, conducted amongst all 47 prefectures in Japan, defines obesity as weighing more than 20 percent of the average.
Now... weight is subjective.
Muscle weighs more than fat. I know. I've had a lot of muscle and by Japanese standards have also been obese. In Canada, I'm merely overweight.
But... there was a time when I was overweight with lots of fat and weighted 185 pounds at 5 foot-10-1/2 inches. After working out heavily for years, five small meals a day, and 1-1/2 hour long works daily, my dimensions were 185 pounds at 5 foot-10-1/2 inches.
Was I still overweight? Did none of my exercising make a difference?
Let me tell you... I was in great shape. I put 12 inches on my chest, took four inches off my waist. I removed fat and built muscle.
Why mention this (apart from the ego blast from the past)? Well... does the study merely compare height to weight? Or does it look and compare muscle mass on the kids? while I might NOT expect a 5-year-old to have a lot of muscle mass, a 13-17-year-old could... and therefore could weight a lot while still being very short... that could imply that someone is overweight according the the Education Ministry's standards.
Granted... it still compares all 47 prefectures, and there does seem to be lot more 'heavy' kids... But... I'm just putting that thought out there...
Here's a video report on the Japanese weight problem in Fukushima.
Anyhow... people are putting 1 +1 together and are assuming the 'obesity' in the Fukushima kids is due to their inability to go out and play sports. It's a likely scenario... but are there other factors at play here? Stress? Mother's guilt? Radiation causing a larger appetite? Kids generally getting lazier in Fukushima from a lack of hope rather than a lack of outdoor exercise?
Cheers,
Andrew Joseph
But in Japan, the on-going fears associated with radiation in the northeastern areas of the country are showing that the best means to confront it are through eating.
By best, Japan - It's A Wonderful Rife means 'best' for the people concerned who have no other idea how to worry about the problem.
Following the March 11, 2011 twin disasters of the 9.9 Magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that smashed into the Dai-ichi power generating nuclear reactor in Fukushima-ken causig it to go off line and nearly (NEARLY) suffer multiple nuclear meltdowns, the reactor did throw up copious amounts of radiation into the air, water and ground.
It's the radiation contamination that has the people in Fukushima very concerned about their long-term prospects regarding health and welfare.
And... while people such as myself tend to eat more and exercise less when stressed, he swears he knows at least one person who says she tends to eat more when she is happy.
But in Japan, because of the ongoing concerns of nuclear radiation in the Fukushima area, people and children have been warned NOT to spend a lot of time outside.
Having been a junior high school assistant English teacher on the JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Programme, I saw students spend a hell of a lot of time outside doing various club activities at school and just being kids having fun playing outside.
Evidence is brewing that because of restrictions on the amount of time being allowed to be outside, Fukushima's kids are getting fatter... and I don't think it's because they are happy.
According to Japan's Education Ministry, after conducting a 2012 survey noting the heights and weights of some 700,000 school kids bewteen the ages of 5-17, it says that the Fukushima kids rated the highest for obesity between the ages of 7-13.
This smacks in the face of the prefecture only being the most obese for kids in the 15-year-old age bracket - actually, the report said Grade 10, but 15 is the average age in Grade 10.
The study, conducted amongst all 47 prefectures in Japan, defines obesity as weighing more than 20 percent of the average.
Now... weight is subjective.
Muscle weighs more than fat. I know. I've had a lot of muscle and by Japanese standards have also been obese. In Canada, I'm merely overweight.
But... there was a time when I was overweight with lots of fat and weighted 185 pounds at 5 foot-10-1/2 inches. After working out heavily for years, five small meals a day, and 1-1/2 hour long works daily, my dimensions were 185 pounds at 5 foot-10-1/2 inches.
Was I still overweight? Did none of my exercising make a difference?
Let me tell you... I was in great shape. I put 12 inches on my chest, took four inches off my waist. I removed fat and built muscle.
Why mention this (apart from the ego blast from the past)? Well... does the study merely compare height to weight? Or does it look and compare muscle mass on the kids? while I might NOT expect a 5-year-old to have a lot of muscle mass, a 13-17-year-old could... and therefore could weight a lot while still being very short... that could imply that someone is overweight according the the Education Ministry's standards.
Granted... it still compares all 47 prefectures, and there does seem to be lot more 'heavy' kids... But... I'm just putting that thought out there...
Here's a video report on the Japanese weight problem in Fukushima.
Anyhow... people are putting 1 +1 together and are assuming the 'obesity' in the Fukushima kids is due to their inability to go out and play sports. It's a likely scenario... but are there other factors at play here? Stress? Mother's guilt? Radiation causing a larger appetite? Kids generally getting lazier in Fukushima from a lack of hope rather than a lack of outdoor exercise?
Cheers,
Andrew Joseph
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