Too fat to farm?

[kfpben]

I have quite a few youngsters help me at various times of year. Vet students, 15 year old work experience kids, ag college students, the odd NEET from the county council.

Most are ok, some are very good, some are muppets. However the thread that runs between nearly all the youngsters that are hard going is that they are overweight. The heavy ones can’t keep up, can’t do the work, need to sit down and are generally a liability. If you can’t muck out 5 lambing pens without needing a rest you have a problem. Or if you can’t keep up as we walk a flock of sheep a mile down the road. These are both incidents I’ve had in the past month.

In some ways I feel sorry for them, if you’re 5 stone overweight by the age of 18 and don’t have many academic qualifications I’d say you’re virtually unemployable.

How does society sort out the physical shape of today’s youth? Do we put so much emphasis on classroom education that children don’t do enough exercise? Realistically sport at school should be daily and compulsory. Healthy body, healthy mind. Or is it time for a form of national service?

Fitter people would benefit all sectors of the economy- especially farming!

 

[deleted user 837354]

I suspect a good portion of overweight 18 year olds have been that way because they were poorly nourished as children and so in reality their parents are to blame.

Not that I can hold my head up high in any way- neither of our kids seem to eat anything. This only reinforces my belief that children grow by absorbing cosmic rays from the sun as they sleep and by occasionally snacking on the life-force they can actively absorb when in close proximity to their parents. I actually believe children can replicate this with any other adult they are in contact with. They are not dissimilar from bubonic plague in this regard- easily acquired, rather difficult to eradicate.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Heard of youngsters intentionally letting themselves go and getting grossly overweight, so nobody will employ them and they can then claim disability.
Spend the rest of their lives sat infront of the tv ,not making any effort to loose weight

 

[Northeastfarmer]

You only need to see the queues for McDonald’s and Greggs to realise why everyone is so fat

 

[kiwi pom]

I don't think Covid helped people in that age group, telling people to stay locked away for long periods of time can only be bad, but hey the experts know what they are doing.
Nutrition is a big one and largely down to the parents plus is there anything for kids to do these days that involves physical activity? What are the schools doing?
Are there lots of after school sports clubs with parent helpers, are there places for them to go etc.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Realistically sport at school should be daily and compulsory. Healthy body, healthy mind.

Not so many years ago ,all schools used to do cross country runs ,,never see it now , dont know what physical activity they do now .

 

[Swarfmonkey]

I suspect a good portion of overweight 18 year olds have been that way because they were poorly nourished as children and so in reality their parents are to blame.

Their parents are to blame alright, but it's not just about food. How many parents are more than happy to let their kids turn into coach potatoes, sitting in front of a Playstation or X Box for hours every day of the week?

 

[Wood field]

Not so many years ago ,all schools used to do cross country runs ,,never see it now , dont know what physical activity they do now .

There were still overweight kids though.
We did pe and games right through secondary school, when we did cross country the tubbies were sent off along the course to check the rest of us didn’t cheat.
We even did pe during the first year of our apprenticeship

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Don’t know what physical activity they do now .

 

[kiwi pom]

There parents are to blame alright, but it's not just about food. How many parents are more than happy to let their kids sit in front of a Playstation or X Box for hours every day of the week?

My kids spend a fair amount of time online, but they play a lot of sport too.
If you live in the middle of a decent sized UK town what else is there for kids to do? I've a 9- and 11-year-old and am fairly happy for them to roam round our small town on their bikes, play sport on school/council grounds, catch up with mates etc, as well as go to their after-school sports clubs. Not sure that would be possible in the UK would it?

 

[yellowbelly]

Is she available for hire?

We've got some molehills that want levelling and it's far too wet to get on with a tractor.

 

[onesiedale]

Sort out the corporate control over the food system.
Support a local food economy
Ban ultra processed foods
Bring back proper home economics into the curriculum.

.. and that would just be a start!

 

[Wood field]

My kids spend a fair amount of time online, but they play a lot of sport too.
If you live in the middle of a decent sized UK town what else is there for kids to do? I've a 9- and 11-year-old and am fairly happy for them to roam round our small town on their bikes, play sport on school/council grounds, catch up with mates etc, as well as go to their after-school sports clubs. Not sure that would be possible in the UK would it?

It’s very possible, plenty of youngsters out on bikes or playing footy
A lots down to parents , there needs to be respect and guidance and trust on both sides

 

[Robt]

Not so many years ago ,all schools used to do cross country runs ,,never see it now , dont know what physical activity they do now .

Most school if not all schools strongly focus on physical excercise ans good diet. When was the last time you interacted with a school? Not having a go but your judgement is often based on your life in circles you don’t mix . Our school , all children run around the field before school
Starts.

 

[Lincs Lass]

There were still overweight kids though.
We did pe and games right through secondary school, when we did cross country the tubbies were sent off along the course to check the rest of us didn’t cheat.
We even did pe during the first year of our apprenticeship

We did a 5 mile run every friday afternoon ,,woe betide any slackers else you missed the bus home ,,wet days was circuit training in the gym .
I think we had one fat kid in the whole year but even he made an effort .

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Handy if you want some ballast in the link box

 

[vantage]

Most school if not all schools strongly focus on physical excercise ans good diet. When was the last time you interacted with a school? Not having a go but your judgement is often based on your life in circles you don’t mix . Our school , all children run around the field before school
Starts.

Here in Wales, they swim!

 

[Devil's advocate]

Handy if you want some ballast in the link box

Some 360 drivers have a real obesity problem of all ages.

 

[pellow]

Its processed foods combined with people to lazy to do meal prep

 

[Wood field]

Here in Wales, they swim!

Forgot about that , compulsory swimming.
At primary school we were bussed to grange over sands to freeze in the open air pool