I live right across the street from an elementary school in the western suburbs of Chicago. And like most elementary schools in this country, this one has a playground where kids gather before and after school, during recess and on weekends. And like most playgrounds, this one has a couple of four-season swing sets where kids love to swing back and forth, over and over again.
Now, the interesting thing for a childhood obesity prevention enthusiast like me is that with a few dollars (less than $20) and a little know-how, any swing set in the country (playground or garden) can easily be transformed into a childhood obesity prevention that really works, and I’ll prove it to you. This is what you will need to produce this little miracle.
You will need to:
o Measure the distance between the chains that a swing rests on (in my case it is 24 inches)
o Buy a piece of one-inch pipe, strong enough for kids to hang from, and cut it to a length that is four inches longer than the distance between the chains a swing is attached to (in my case , that’s 28 inches).
o Purchase two quarter-inch eye bolts that are one and a half inches long.
o Buy two strong carabiners
o Buy two one-inch rubber bumpers like you would put on the bottom of kitchen chairs to keep them from slipping or scratching the floor.
o Finally, you will need a power drill with a quarter inch drill bit.
Now let’s take these parts and build the machine we mentioned earlier. Follow these simple steps and it will take you about ten minutes to complete.
Step One: Drill two-quarter-inch holes in the pipe that are parallel to each other. Locate them at either end of the pipe and place them at a distance that is exactly the same as the distance between the chains on your swing set.
Step Two: Attach a rubber stopper to each end of the pipe…a safety feature.
Step Three – Put an eyebolt into each hole you have drilled in the pipe, put a washer at the bottom, and then tighten the nut at the bottom of each eyebolt tightly.
Step Four – Attach a snap hook to the eye of each eyebolt.
Step Five – Separate the swing from the chains of the swing set, leaving the chains hanging by themselves (no seat) from the support beam.
Step Six – Mount your new homemade bar to the height of your choice by snapping one snap hook into one of the swing set’s chains and the other snap hook into the other chain.
A height-adjustable pull-up bar
What you will now have is something you will be tempted to call a trapezoid. But there is a very important difference. The new device is height adjustable, so you can raise and lower it in very small increments (an inch?) up and down the chain. We will call this device “Height Adjustable Pull Up Bar” or HAPUB for short.
Prevention of childhood obesity?
You’re probably wondering what all this has to do with preventing childhood obesity. So let me answer that question right now by saying that it probably won’t surprise you to learn that kids who can do push-ups ARE NEVER OBESE. Furthermore, if they learn to do pull-ups, and eat and exercise in a way that maintains the ability to do pull-ups, children are immunized against obesity for life.
Naturally immunized against obesity for life
On the other hand, you might be surprised to learn that with a HAPUB like the one you just built and a technique called Leg Assisted Pull Ups (where kids can jump and pull at the same time), most kids can learn to do pull ups. conventions at a predictable time, say a school year.
Now let’s add that if these two observations are true, then logically MOST CHILDREN CAN BE NATURALLY IMMUNIZED AGAINST OBESITY FOR LIFE BY LEARNING AND MAINTAINING THE SKILL OF PULL UPS.
In other words, for less than $20, you now have the simple tool you need to help your own children in your own family or classroom learn physical exertion. And once they’ve mastered pull-ups, all they have to do is test themselves once a week (for 10-20 seconds) and as long as they can still do at least one conventional pull-up, they can’t possibly be obese.
Performance produces natural feedback
If their performance improves, they naturally become slimmer. If your performance deteriorates, you’re better off adjusting your exercise levels up and your calorie intake down. With such a simple reference, obesity cannot sneak up on anyone.
in adulthood
As children grow into adulthood, OPYOW’s golden rule remains intact. It doesn’t change at all. Human beings who can physically pull their own weight cannot be obese. In other words, by simply learning and maintaining the ability to do pull-ups, children are naturally immunized against obesity for life. Without exceptions.
There’s no time like the present
And it’s cheap. Any school or park district, or Boys and Girls Club, etc. in the nation can afford to do this. It works and there are no more excuses to allow our children to succumb to conditions that undermine their health and well-being… not to mention their self-confidence. The time to act is now.
