Isn’t McDonald’s something else? The word insidious comes to mind.

Their brilliant solution to our ever-widening youngsters in this country is to put fancy work-out areas in some of their outlets. To my way of thinking this is very disturbing.

What’s next, Cardiac Stress Testing at Pizza Hut?

I can understand offering salads…maybe…but fitness and fries?

I’m hoping nutritionists, dietitians, heart doctors, and fitness gurus will be all over this one.

Shouldn’t we be communicating that exercise is part of a balanced lifestyle — not a way to mitigate poor dietary choices?

In the McDonald’s scenario it seems as if the message is: burn off the crap you just ate. (And then go back for more, since you’re already there) — doesn’t this seem like it’s putting the bun before the cart?

The dangers I see is that this logic seems reminiscent of patterns found in patients who suffer from eating disorders.

And of course, shouldn’t we be the ones who are setting the example for our kids, not a fast-food chain?

May I just ask, whatever happened to a good old fashioned game of outdoor stickball — why do we not see kids outside running around as much as we did back in the day?

For the future of our children and for a more slender America, I think it’s time for us to re-claim our kids’ diets and re-vamp their health patterns.

Post from: Blisstree

The Golden Arches Fitness Plan?

As Baby Boomers and generations X and Y continue to inhabit and compete for the same positions, promotions and benefits in the work force — we now have a diversity stew that is becoming very difficult to manage. The grumbling about salaries, flex time, dress codes, parents’ rights and a whole myriad of ideologies is loud and getting louder:

The authors of Generations At Work cite some real doozies:

• “A hiring bonus! Wet behind the ears and he wants a hiring bonus! At his age, I was just grateful I had a job.” Or “So I told my boss, ‘If you’re looking for loyalty, buy a dog.”‘ Or “He asks me,” ‘Do you have an e-mail address?’ I felt like telling him, ’since you were in diapers, buddy!”‘

Sound familiar? As if human resouces specialists don’t have enough on their plate, now through education and communication, they must address the fact that at no other time in our history have we had so many and such different generations working together.

I, for one, am so glad I never had to work for someone younger than myself. Why? Because as a boomer, I subscribe to the “Xers as greedy and lazy” school of biased thought. And they probably see me as obsessive and single-minded.

What should be done? According to the authors of Generations At Work, we should “get a portrait” of each generation: learn their values, assets, abilities and work ethics. Get curious about the events that shaped Baby Boomers’ lives: Woodstock, the Cold War, the Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation movements…and for Xers it was Watergate, PCs, the Challenger disaster and the Internet.

And keep in mind there is another group about to enter your space: NeXters (1980-2000). As web builders, touch-typists, critics of older generations’ computer skills, and boasters of having brought the word “whatever” into our everyday lexicon…there is a lot we must learn about them so that we are not tempted to give them a big old slap when they come to work.

Post from: Blisstree

Generation Flap At Work.