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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2011-02-03, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2011.Central Huron defeatsroad damage bylaw The gold standard The Brussels Skating Club handed out its annual awards on Sunday at its carnival. The winners were, back row, from left: Ronan Jared, recipient of the Skate Canada CanPowerSkate Level 3; Colton Walford, Most Improved Junior Power Skater; Kiaran Jared, Most Improved Senior Power Skater; Emily Mitchell, Skate Canada CanPowerSkate Level 6; Emma Strome, Most Outstanding Intermediate Skater and Shannon Jared, Most Outstanding Junior Skater. Front row, from left: Sarah Alexander, the Spirit of Skating Medallion winner; Madison Koch, the Spirit of Skating Medallion winner; Ashton Baxter, the Canskater of the Year Medallion winner; Abby Strome, Most Outstanding Canskater, stage 4-7 and Allyson Barbour, Most Outstanding Canskater, stage 1-3. Absent were Skate Canada CanPowerSkate Level 3 recipients Bennett Newell and Noah Terpstra and Skate Canada CanPowerSkate Level 6 recipient Logan Kellington. (Vicky Bremner photo) This is the first in a six-part series by Jessica Sparling of Blyth entitled “Good For You!” The series will highlight the impact of nutrition and lifestyle choices on physical and mental health and general wellness. Jessica is a second-year student in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University in New York, majoring in Human Biology, Health and Society. The first instalment, “Fries with That?” recognizes the obesity epidemic in Canada. Each of us can make a few simple choices in our daily lives that will make a significant difference. And it all starts with awareness. With the new year comes a new batch of resolutions, ambitious goals and the obligatory promises to be the best that we can be. Millions of us will try, but how successful will we be? Living in Canada, we are blessed so much, including some things we may overlook – fresh air, a constant supply of clean water and enough food to eat. We also have choice. Choice between eating locally- grown and nutrient-rich fresh foods, and of course, packaged and processed products that afford us the opportunity to store food for longer periods of time. And while we are the most informed food consumers in history, we seem determined to make ourselves a collective victim to bad food choices. Worse, some of the choices are proven detrimental to our health. According to the World Health Organization, almost 23 per cent of North American adults are obese. Sure, there are regional and cultural variables, but the data is shocking. It suggests almost one in 4 of us is not just overweight, but obese. Obesity is a physical state defined by the National Institutes of Health as “20 per cent over a person's ideal weight” or by some other standards, 30 pounds overweight. Ideal weight must take into account the person’s height, age, gender and build. More importantly though, is the fact that our problematic food choices are leading to unprecedented socioeconomic costs and unmanageable healthcare challenges. Obesity can lead to adult-onset diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, heart failure, cancer, gallstones, and sleep apnea – and with each of these, an increased mortality risk. Pretty serious stuff. There’s also the issue of predisposition: studies indicate that children who have parents who are either overweight or obese are at a significantly higher risk of becoming overweight or obese themselves. Cornell University’s Dr. David Levitsky suggests, “If a child has two non-obese parents, the child’s risk of obesity is 30 per cent, compared with an 80 per cent risk if a child is raised by two obese parents”. This does not suggest poor parenting, but rather highlights the effect others have on our own eating behavior – and the need for an increased awareness about the burden of evidence that confirms the obesity risk. This is a wake-up call for all of us. Each of us can make better choices, and a new year is the ideal time for a new start. May each of us have the courage and the willpower to make a few simple changes. Not miracle potions or ancient secrets, but changes that mean living a little healthier and maintaining our weight by making better choices. The simplest way to combat unhealthy behaviour is to start with making smarter food choices, and committing to daily physically activity. Every food, if eaten in moderation, could be considered part of a healthy diet. Others however, (like poutine or sugary cereals) must be considered “sometimes foods,” that should only be eaten on rare occasions. It’s truly all about portion control and an awareness of what we’re actually consuming. Being physically active daily is important for overall health. Walking to the store or to the mailbox is better than nothing and will make a small difference, but 30 minutes of daily physical activity is recommended to decrease the risk of chronic diseases. So next time you are asked, “Would you like fries with your sandwich?” and you order a side salad instead, or if you take the stairs instead of the elevator, Good For You! Every journey begins with the first step. And you’re on your way. “I was looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It was there all the time,” – Anne Frank A motion to charge developers for oversize and overweight loads on municipal roadways was defeated at Central Huron Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Jan. 27. Councillors had many reasons for believing the bylaw, meant to penalize developers whose heavy or oversized loads damaged municipal roads, wouldn’t work, including some concerns that it would punish the wrong people and concerns that damage caused by developers wouldn’t be immediately noticeable. Councillor Brian Barnim didn’t support the bylaw because he believed that people would find a way around it, and because he believed that it didn’t make sense to implement a bylaw against the entire population when they were only hoping to catch one group. “There’s only one reason we’re considering this,” Barnim stated, saying that they are focusing on damage caused by wind turbine transportation. “We should just sit down and talk to the developers and say this is how much its going to cost to use our roads to move in turbine parts,” he stated. Councillor Dan Calquhoun believed that this wasn’t the way council should be addressing the problem. “This is a slippery little slope we’re on,” he stated. “I don’t like this train of thought at all.” Under the defeated bylaw, farm vehicles would be exempt, which assuaged some councillors concerns, but there was still a question of the necessity of the bylaw. Roads manager Tom Sinclair stated, when asked by council, that there had been damage caused before by developments involving Ontario Hydro and Union Gas, and that they had no way to charge them for the damage caused. The bylaw was originally proposed because Central Huron’s road user agreements have “no teeth” without it according to Chief Administrative Officer Kevin McLlwain. Council decided that they would need a bylaw to give the municipality the tools necessary to recover these losses, and stated staff should bring back a bylaw enabling this. A second bylaw will be brought back to a future council meeting. SAVE up to $2850 a year Off the newsstand price Newsstand price - $1.25/week Subscription price - 68¢/week Yes - I want to save money. Enclosed is $34.00 for a 1-year subscription Good For You! By Jessica Sparling By Denny Scott The Citizen