Finally, WELCOME to the IROPE Fitness Program blog.  I hope this blog can serve not only as a vehicle to talk about the benefits of jump roping (the IROPE way of course) as an alternative exercise to Improve flexibility, Reduce stress, Overcome boredom, Promote a healthy self image and Enjoy life,  but also to engage the community in a healthy discussion to bring about solutions that will  improve the health and lifestyles of all of our visitors regardless to whether visiting from near or far.

I recently had  the opportunity to attend the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Summit:  The Science of Eliminating Health Disparities.  On the closing day of the summit, the attendees were asked the following question:  In the context of health disparities,  if you were to advise the new administration regarding health care reform, what would you advise?

On April 9, 1962 John F. Kennedy addressed the National Children’s Bureau and is quoted saying:  “There is nothing, I think, more unfortunate than to have soft, chubby, fat-looking children who go to watch their school play basketball every Saturday and regard that as their week’s exercise”. What is most unfortunate, is that 46 years later, with all of the “studies” and advances in technology, borrowing a term from one of the panelist at the summit, we have suffered from “mural dyslexia” (the inability to read the writing on the wall).   So just out of curiosity, in the context of addressing the issue of childhood overweight and obesity, what would you advise the new administration to do?