Bring back JFK to solve our obesity problem!

1962: President John F. Kennedy delivers a sobering warning about the nation's declining fitness levels: "I hope that we will not find a day in the United States when all of us are spectators except for a few (fit enough) who are out on the field. I hope all Americans will be on the field." Fast forward to today, with over a billion adults worldwide tipping the scales into obesity, and almost half of the US adult population, Kennedy’s fears have materialized into reality.

Weight gain happens when we consume more calories than we burn. A positive energy balance translates into the body storing excess energy as fat. Or in simple math: 

Weight gain = (Calories In - Calories Out) >0 

Calories in: Blame it on the SAD (Standard American Diet)

Think about it — since the 50s, we've been progressively duped into a diet that's cheap for the wallet but costly for our health. The rise of the Standard American Diet is characterized by the omnipotence of industrial food, packing on the calories while stripping away the good stuff, leaving us with more sugar, more junk, and skyrocketing obesity rates.

We have efficient diets (the tried-and-true Mediterranean diet that has been around since the 70s), new classes of drugs like GLP-1 agonists (that are showing fair results when combined with physical exercise! ...for $10k a year!), yet obesity and associated chronic diseases continue to surge.

Now imagine putting the same focus and $ into the other variable of the equation.

I think it's the best shot we've got to for now to save the next generation.

‘Calories Out’ is the better option (duh!)

Back to JFK. After his victory in 1961, he took significant steps to address the declining levels of fitness of young Americans, focusing on physical education at school. He launched the US Physical Fitness Program, 15min of daily competitive physical activity blending conditioning, strength and agility. And it was no joke.

He already knew what most of us are preaching today:  “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” 

Fast forward to nowadays. Only 15% of 12-17 year-olds are meeting the physical activity recommendations in 2022 according to the very serious Physical Activity Alliance.

Because physical activity is still perceived as leisure and not a necessity by the vast majority (unlike eating!), it's constantly battling for a spot on our busy schedules:

Our waistlines expand at the same rate as our Netflix queues!

The problem arises when the school system fails to fulfill its role in educating our youth. It seems schools have given up on physical education (PE) and traded dodgeball for... well, nothing. A survey from Harvard found that almost 70% of parents say their child’s school does not provide daily physical education, even though experts recommend 150 to 225 minutes per school week. By the way, 150 minutes is the weekly target of physical activity recommended by the American Heart Association to lower the risks of developing heart disease.

The current system is setting up our kids for poor health and chronic disease. Don’t believe me? A study published in the American College of Cardiology journal estimates that diabetes will increase by 60% between 2025 and 2060, and the number of heart attacks and strokes will increase by 30%.

With what’s looming ahead, it’s time we put PE and math on the same level of importance in our curriculums.

The solution: Bring back President JFK! Or at least the spirit of his determination.

Make PE mandatory and consider it equal to all other subjects. Let's prioritize our kids' physical development as much as their intellectual growth. And for those concerned about potential shame for kids who aren't sports stars, it's an acceptable trade-off. I know firsthand—I endured years of algebra shame from my teachers.

Add new subjects like aerobic capacity, strength training to our good ol’ Math and Physics.

$800 billion is the total expenditure for public elementary and secondary schools in the United States. It’s also the current cost of cardiovascular disease in the US.

We spend hundreds of billions on treating the consequences. Perhaps it's time to invest in prevention. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure... or in this case, close to a trillion dollars.

Even if we don’t solve the ‘calories in’ side of the equation for a while, if we all stay physically active, whether obese or not, our odds against chronic disease are far better. And remember:

We may not be able to out-train a bad diet, but running with a problem is always better than sitting with it.