Wednesday, June 25, 2008

JAPAN FIGHTS FAT. What about the rest of us?



As I cruised around the web looking for celebrity homes, er I mean chef stuff, I came across this video. I'm not sure how many of you saw this on CNN but it's well worth a gander. This would never fly here in the States or in a lot of other places for that matter but I can't help but think, what if....
If companies in the U.S. were forced to pay fines for every employee deemed over-weight, would they invest in helping them lose weight? Would they offer better food choices in their cafeterias & cafes just as the Japanese companies do? Better yet, would they offer to pay for gym memberships or include exercise as part of the work day? And if they did, would you agree to partake in something like this? Now the Japanese determine being over-weight as men with a waist of 33.5 inches and women as 35.4. Clearly not over-weight by our standards but imagine how many non-Japanese co.'s would have to claim bankruptcy if this was implemented today?

Overall I'm not really sure what I think about the idea. On the one hand it feels invasive and intrusive but as the healthy guy, I like the fact that ultimately this will improve people's health. So the question is, would you forgo a bit of freedom in exchange for getting healthier?
Sushi anyone?

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