…finding out what motivates each individual to take charge of their own health and change their lifestyle. I know, easier said than done! I know there are countless conferences each year, that tackle the topic of childhood obesity, diabetes, and the growing burden on the healthcare industry, but we truly do believe, that if we can figure out what inspires people to change, we can create profound change all over the world.

It’s because we don’t need to wait for a magic pill, special diet, or more effective exercise program…the power to fix the problem lies within each of us. We’ve seen it countless times, when one person decides to transform their lives, it creates a ripple effect. Once parents learn the importance of exercise and healthy eating, they automatically begin shaping the foods and activities for their whole family. Do we expect a child who learns the importance of healthy eating in school to resist the pizza or fast food his parents bring home at night? If we as adults can’t resist it, what are we expecting our children to do?

So in essence, if we can fix the adults, we’ll be able to fix the childhood obesity problem. The adults will pay more attention to what the kids are doing…whether it’s parents, teachers, or school administrators — once we can really change a school administrator’s view on his or her own health, the impact that single person may have on an entire school may be profound. Priorities will change.

This goes far beyond just telling people what they should eat, and how fast they should run. Once the adults who have influence over kids lives at home or school have changed their own lives…they must then understand how to shape environments to make staying healthy convenient and fun for the younger generation.

Before we can expect any change to occur with kids, we must first prove to ourselves as adults, that it is worth it so we can teach it with passion.