Nurcan Köse

PRELIMINARY READING:

Globesityis a blend of global with obesity and refers to the looming public health crisis worldwide caused by excessive weight gain. A writer at the World Health Organisation coined it in a report in February 2001 on the increasing risk caused by obesity worldwide, which is classed by many health professionals as much more serious a problem than smoking. The fat epidemic — mainly the result of poor diet — is often thought to be peculiarly a US problem (61% of Americans are categorised as overweight and 26% as obese), or more generally of the developed world (a European Union conference in Copenhagen last week heard that that within 15 years at least 75% of British men and women will be overweight), but it is a problem increasingly shared by developing countries (WHO says that 18% of the global population is obese and that malnutrition and obesity often now both occur within the same countries). The problem of obesity is particularly worrying because it is affecting children even more than adults, leading for example to the early onset of Type Two diabetes, at one time unknown in childhood.

“Globesity” is fast becoming more of a problem than famine and under-nutrition, and has now reached a point where it is becoming a serious threat to the health of every nation striving for economic development, scientists said yesterday.

Independent, Feb. 2002

The Lancet’s cancer journal, Lancet Oncology ... warns that the obesity epidemic — or “globesity” as the World Health Organisation termed it recently — threatens a public health crisis.

Guardian, Aug. 2002

FILL IN THE TABLEON GLOBESITY:

GROUP WORK

1. Get into groups with people from your own country
2. You are going to be the focus group who will suggest ways in which the problem of “Globesity” could be tackled in your country.
3. You will agree on one strategy that will help to stop “Globesity”
4. Specify how Paneurhytmy could be helpful and who should be responsible for implementing the strategy, how it would be achieved, and which sectors of the population would be affected.
5. After having agreed on all of these prepare your speech.
6. You have 6-8 minutes to talk. Everybody in the group has to contribute in a way.
7. Don’t forget it is a very important issue and your audience will be all the authorities of Turkey,  Belgium, Czech Republic, and Bulgaria.

PROJECT RESULTS: STRATEGY WITH PANEURHYTHMY

The best strategy is given by the Belgium students group (Levi Otte, Jelle Joosen, Sofie de Smedt, Jill Vandenbussche, Stefanie Vanhulle):

Our tactic for tackling the problem of obesity with the help of Paneurhythmics is divided in six principles. Together we may call our tactic ESSENCE which stands for:

E stands for Easy start method. Somebody who has not exercised before may not have the courage to begin with. Paneurhythmics is in the beginning very easy. Everybody can do the movements. So you have the feeling of success every time you do Paneurhythmics.

S stands for Structure. When people want to loose weight they have to change their habits and changing their habits is caused by new structure. Paneurhythmics is a very structured activity. It’s good for a start of the day. There is rhythm not only in Paneurhythmics, not only in the course, but also in your life. We can say that Paneurhythmics is the first step to a structured life, to a new style and a new life.

S stands for Stress (reducing). In these times many, people have a stressful life because they need to go to work and they need to look after their children and so on but they don’t take time for themselves. So Paneurhythmics is close to relaxation and that’s what people need to do more.

E stands for Energy. Who of you has not got a computer at home? The problems of today’s youth, elderly and all people is computer, TV, too much inside. We need energy. How do we get energy? We go outside, get vitamin D from the sun. This D vitamin gives you energy and this energy gives you the courage to do more sport. Paneurhythmics is performed in the open. The more you go outside, the more energy you get, the more sports you do. It’s a cycle.

N stands for Not alone. In our group we do the Paneurhythmics together. You always act like this. It is a social habit. People who want to lose weight, they form a group. They want to be together in a social habit. So, it will be easier for them to persevere in the exercising of the Paneurhythmics. It will be easier to do it in a group than do something like in a fitness all by yourself.

C stands for Coordination. If you walk on the street and you ask someone: do you like to do gymnastics? more likely most people would say “no”. And why? Because I can’t do it. I don’t have the coordination. So the more coordination someone gets, the more likely he is to be able to do sports. If you are good at something, you are more likely to like it. If you are good at coordination you are more likely to like gymnastics. If you like gymnastics, you will do more sports. Paneurhythmics teaches coordination. Every exercise has basic  rhythm: open arms-right foot, close arms- left foot. This coordination gives you more coordination to do other sports and to like other sports more.

E stands for Effect. The effect of our strategy is that Paneurhythmics will change the world and it will also decrease our obesity in the world.

Published in:   Introducing Paneurhythmy: Fit, Creative and Social with the Bulgarian System for Recreation.  Ed. Petrov, L., Veliko Tarnovo, St. Cyril and St. Methodius University Press: 2010