What if, as you are enjoying your delicious Chinese takeout, you open your fortune cookie, and it says...

“You will always be fat.”

Just writing these words make my heart palpitate; yet, for many teenage girls, this thought is their constant companion. It is said that males have a sexual thought every 52 seconds. Well, at least they get a break! Amidst real concerns about the rise in childhood obesity and its collateral health risks, there seems to be a new snake in the grass stalking our children—eating disorders. Most people seem to believe that relentless media pressure for thinness is to blame for this threat, but I think the real culprit is our failure to find workable strategies for everyday eating.

The old model of personal training is losing relevance when viewed against the bigger picture of how society is changing. At one time, the public just needed trainers to show them how to exercise and explain basic principles of nutrition. These “personal” trainers focused on the individual with respect to more external goals – usually related to weight loss or muscle gain.