Most people love chocolate, myself included. There has been research which shows there are some health benefits to eating small amounts chocolate with at least 70% cacao in it. The question I posed in an earlier post was should a chocolate bar the size of your forearm be the first thing you see when you enter a gym? The responses I’ve received on the blog and through conversations covered a wide spectrum. The purpose of asking this question was to raise awareness to our surroundings and how they contribute towards making poor health choices.
I consider a gy
m to be a healthy sanctuary and expect them to be looking out for my best health interests, rather than trying to feed me more temptation. The problem we face is a constant barrage of unhealthy messages and choices such as these chocolate bars throughout the day. From the time we wake up in the morning with TV or radio ads for the 5 or 6 hour energy shot, to the morning doughnuts at the office, to the sweet smells driving by the bakery, it becomes taxing to hold off all the temptation that we face each day. At some point, we become overwhelmed and give into this temptation – even when we know better. Without the proper health habits and knowledge it is too easy to give in and over time, this is what contributes to our overall decline in health. One extra pound this year turns into 30 extra pounds after 15 years further increasing our risk for disease. Whether it be a fitness center or your place of work, we need to manage the environment so it supports health goals rather than sabotaging them.
While the chocolate bar sale was was for a positive cause to raise money for a kids trip, are there not alternatives to selling junk food to raise money? What about a walk/bike/or stair-a-thon that involves the kids or more of the gym members to raise money. This is a Win-Win by raising money and helping to improve everyone’s fitness level. Before we jump to candy sales in the future, let’s look to find creative, innovative, and healthy choices to raise money so we all benefit.
Update: The chocolate bars at the gym have been moved to a side wall of the front desk rather than at the front entry sign-in. My guess is the front desk attendants got tired of getting flack for the same question I raised.