Thursday, September 4, 2008

Fight Fat, Feel Fit...


Because fat needs to be "fought" apparently, and the best way to do that is to use the stairs. I am fine with the using the stairs to be healthier or whatever, but this makes it sound like fat is the ultimate enemy which must be defeated or else you'll never ever be happy, or something. This picture is from my university's stairwell, btw. By the elevators there's another sign that makes me facepalm each time I see it due to how pointless it is... It says "taking the stairs burns 5 times more calories than taking the elevator" Wow, really? You mean that walking uses more calories than standing there? I had no idea, because all fat people are idiots! No wonder I'm still disgustingly fat! Thanks, "healthy life" signs!

Thoughts? Opinions? Rants? I'm cool with whatever ;3

16 comments:

Fat Acceptance said...

Worse yet this only serves to perpetuate the myth/lie that calories are related to obesity.

Miriam Heddy said...

Someone find that troll a staircase or a hamster wheel. He/she must have a lot of extra time on his/her hands.

Anonymous said...

If you want to counter in kind (and I understand if that would raise too many issues for you) there are some nice handouts at Healthy Weight Network.

Or you could make up your own sign, with "Exercise is Fun and Keeps You Strong" or some such.

Anonymous said...

As someone who is fat and has a congenital medical condition that keeps me from taking the stairs, you can imagine how great I'd feel about seeing this sign every day.

May I suggest that you bring this to the attention of your university's disability/equity office?

Peach M said...

Totally with you, anonymous. I hate all this crap. Even if you saw a fat person walking up the stairs and smiling, that means jack all about how 'healthy' they are. Same with anyone else!

Can't we just stop giving people excuses to judge people?

Anonymous said...

If this were true, I would have been thin, thin, thin after two-plus years of living in a 4th-floor apartment with no elevator...especially after I had a baby and had to carry him and the stroller up said stairs.

Readers, I was not thin.

Asshats.

XXLA said...

Actually guys, I'm pretty certain this is school affiliated and was sponsored by health services or some other health related thing on campus.

Anonymous said...

Just because it's school-sponsored doesn't mean the disability/equal opportunity folks know about or approve of it. (I interned for our office when I was in college, and they spent a lot of time doing damage control for the stupidity of other departments!)

So it might be worth a try. :)

Anonymous said...

Someone needs to get a big sharpie and "fix" that sign when no one is around.

Here's one idea:
Fight Fat [Predjudice]

Or if you don't want to make it a size acceptance issue, you can follow the health slant with:
Fight Fat[igue]

What do you guys think?

Lemur-Cat said...

Gee, it is so lazy of me to take the elevator when I have to get to the 20th floor carrying a computer and a bag of large books.

Good idea, Cute Bruiser!

Scattered Marbles said...

lol .. that has got to be the most un-imaginative way to motivate people to use the stairs. Honestly people just get more and more cliche when it comes to being "healthy" I mean seriously at least show some effort right?

Anonymous said...

The sign clearly needs a little adjustment. I suggest:

Fight Fat Hate
Feel Fit at any Size!
Frequent these Flights.



Please post a pic of the improved sign! :-)

KMH said...

I loathe these campaigns. One of several studies discovered, oh surprise! that the only way to get health benefits from stair climbing was to do it for twenty minutes or so a day. You know, kind of like doing a workout. Climbing the stairs once does nothing for you. Climbing the stairs four times throughout the day does nothing for you. But you can feel guilty anytime!

[The study I read was Boreham, C.A.G.; R.A. Kennedy, and M.H. Murphy. “Training effects of short bouts of stair climbing on cardiorespiratory fitness, blood lipids, and homocysteine in sedentary young women.” British Journal of Sports Medicine 39 (2005): 590-593.]

Anonymous said...

I LOVE the addition of "Feel Fit [At Any Age]"!

Anonymous said...

Err, size, even. Wow. That's what I get for commenting when I just got up. :x

Anonymous said...

I know I'm a couple of years late to this blog, but in my defense I've never gone in search of supporters before.
I have been reading these posts all afternoon and just have to say Ashley, thankyou. You've said many a thing I always thought but could never find the words. As a fat teenager myself (5'4 - 240) I was actually quite comfortable with myself and brimming with self confidence even when the world around me tried to tell me I had no right!
Somehow.. At 26 now, (5'4 - around 350) I am trying to regain that self confidence and personality that I miss. I don't know where it went! Lol, well yes I do but I sat by and watched it go.
After reading your blog I feel renewed with self esteem and even might leave the house to buy my own underwear! I now refuse to let one more person tell me I'm unacceptable because I'm fat. And if I do lose weight (purely because I'm much happier being able to get off the floor without having to lean on something for support) then that was for me and not for everybody who ever said "you'd be such a pretty girl if only you were a little thinner!" to them I give the big old hairy bird.
This could be the most random thing I've ever written and may never find anybody but I had to throw it out there.
Yes I'm fat, I used to like that about me.. You've reminded me why. Thankyou :)

 
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