I live directly across the street from an elementary school in Chicago’s western suburbs. And like most elementary schools in this country, this one has a playground where children gather before and after school, during recess and on weekends. And like most playgrounds, this one has a couple of four-season swings that kids love to swing back and forth over and over again.

Now what’s interesting to a childhood obesity prevention enthusiast like myself is that with a few dollars (less than $ 20) and a little knowledge, any swing in the country (playground or backyard) can be transformed. easily into a childhood obesity prevention machine. That really works, and I’ll show you. This is what it will take to produce this little miracle.

You will need to:
o Measure the distance between the chains that a swing is resting on (in my own case it is 24 inches)

o Buy a one-inch piece of tubing, that is strong enough for children to hang on them, and cut it to a length that is four inches longer than the distance between the chains that a swing is attached to (in my case, it is 28 inches).

o Buy two one-and-a-half-inch long quarter-inch eyebolts.

o Buy two sturdy snap hooks

o Buy two one-inch rubber bumpers like you would put on the underside of kitchen chairs to prevent them from slipping or scratching the floor.

o Finally, you will need a power drill with a quarter inch bit.

Now let’s take these parts and build the machine we mentioned earlier. Follow these simple steps and it will take about ten minutes to complete.

Step One: Drill two quarter-inch holes in the pipe that are parallel to each other. Place them at either end of the pipe and place them at a distance that is exactly the same as the distance between the chains on your swing.

Step Two: Attach a rubber stopper to each end of the pipe … a safety feature.

Step Three: Put an eyebolt in each hole you drilled in the pipe, put a washer on the bottom, and then tighten the nut on the bottom of each eyebolt tightly.

Step Four: Attach a Safety Hook to the eye of each eyebolt.

Step Five: Detach the swing from the chains from the swing set, leaving the chains hanging alone (no seat) from the support beam.

Step Six: Mount your new homemade bar at the height of your choice by placing one snap hook on one of the swing set chains and the other snap hook on the other chain.

A height-adjustable chin-up bar
What you will have now is something you will be tempted to call a trapeze. But there is a very important difference. The new device is height adjustable so you can raise and lower it in very small increments (an inch?) Up and down the chain. We’ll call this device a “height adjustable chin-up bar,” or HAPUB for short.

Prevention of childhood obesity?
Right now, you’re probably wondering what all of this has to do with preventing childhood obesity. So let me answer that question right now by saying that it probably won’t surprise you to learn that kids who can pull up are NEVER OBESE. Also, if they learn to do pull-ups, and eat and exercise in a way that maintains the ability to do pull-ups, children are immunized against obesity for life.

Naturally immunized against obesity for life

On the other hand, you might be surprised to learn that with a HAPUB like the one you just built and a technique called Leg Assisted Pull Ups (where kids can jump and pull at the same time), most kids can learn to pull-ups. conventional in a predictable period of time, say a school year.

Now let’s add that if these two observations are true, then it logically follows that MOST CHILDREN CAN NATURALLY IMMUNIZE AGAINST OBESITY FOR LIFE BY LEARNING AND MAINTAINING THE ABILITY TO PULL UPS.

In other words, for less than $ 20 you now have the simple tool you need to help your own children, in your own family or classroom, learn to physically do their own weight. And once they’ve mastered the pull-up, all they have to do is test themselves once a week (for 10-20 seconds) and as long as they can do at least one conventional pull-up, they can’t possibly be obese.

Performance produces natural feedback
If their performance improves, they naturally become slimmer. If your performance deteriorates, it is best to adjust your exercise levels up and your calorie intake down. With such a simple reference, obesity cannot surprise anyone.

In adulthood
As children reach adulthood, OPYOW’s rule of thumb remains intact. It does not change at all. Humans who can physically pull their own weight cannot be obese. In other words, simply by learning and maintaining the ability to do pull-ups, children are naturally immunized against obesity for life. Without exceptions.

There is no time like the present
And it is cheap. Any school or park district, or Boys and Girls Club, etc. the nation can afford to do this. It works and there are no more excuses to allow our children to succumb to conditions that undermine their health and well-being … not to mention their self-confidence. The time to act is now.