Mr Motivator meets Gordon Brown
Mr Motivator blazed his way into 10 Downing Street today to discuss Britain’s growing obesity problem with Gordon Brown.
The Prime Minister met with Mr Motivator and GMTV’s Dr Hilary Jones and gave his support to GMTV’s ‘Get Motivated’ campaign – a crusade to get Britain fit and healthy for 2009.
Get-up-and-go Gordon Brown, greeted Mr Motivator (Derrick Evans), by saying: “It’s a joy to have you here – I’ve just broken from my run.”
The Prime Minister revealed he enjoys exercising first thing in the morning, saying “It is the best time, as long as you can actually fit it in. With young children, sometimes I… But I think that’s the key isn’t it? Making up your mind to do it, and doing it now.”
Mr Motivator challenged the PM by saying, “I’ve been away for ten years and during that time, as you look around, waistlines have got bigger.”
Mr Brown responded by saying it was important to give people incentives to get fit – revealing his own secret weapon that got his kids up and about over Christmas: “During Christmas we took my children on walks – that’s a great thing to do – and we had treasure hunts at the end of the walks to encourage them.”
The Prime Minister admitted healthy eating was also key to reducing Britain’s soaring obesity levels – revealing he regularly points his children in the right direction: “I keep telling my children – five fruits, five vegetables a day. I think it’s really important. And if you start very young , you do it continuously. But if you don’t start young, it’s sometimes very difficult to persuade people to do it.
The Prime Minister said Mr Motivator has a crucial role to play between the Government’s own Change4Life initiative and GMTV’s ‘Get Motivated’ campaign. “You’re motivating people already all the time…and I would like to see you going around the country, talking to people about how they can actually get motivated themselves. .. I want people to know that right around the country now, Change4Life – working with ‘Get Motivated’ – is available for people, and here’s a chance to get fit and get the best advice.”
Mr Brown told Mr Motivator he’ll also be encouraging other MPs to sign up to GMTV’s Get Motivated campaign, saying: “I’ll tell the Cabinet Ministers that you’re after them – you’re coming.”
Watch the full interview on GMTV tomorrow morning
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As a parent of a child with type 1 diabetes, i am horrified that the government’s new campaign “Change4life” to curb obesity in children does not specify that obesity may trigger type 2 diabetes – it just uses the word diabetes which covers many types of the disease most of then unpreventable. The NHS are running this campaign so why can they not be specific ?
As a result of the adverts failure to state that type 2 diabetes may be triggered when referring to obesity related disease it leaves all children with type 1 diabetes and many thousands of other diabetics including adult type 1’s open to public ignorance causing them to be the subject of taunts in the playground/ workplace and much further embarrassment.
I have tried to explain to my 6 year old that she didn’t get type 1 because of poor eating, couch potato lifestyle – as suggested in the advert. I have also had to prepare her for comments from school friends and potential bullying she may suffer because of the ill informed advert which doesn’t correctly explain the facts. This advert will undoubtedly cause massive confusion within the community and prejudice towards children and adults with all types of unpreventable diabetes. I do not want my child and others growing up in a misinformed society that she has this life threatening disease because it’s her own fault and she could have done something to prevent it.
Furthermore, to add references about type 1 diabetes to an advert which is about obesity is extremely misleading and damages the efforts to raise money into the research and treatment and a possible cure for type 1 diabetes.
Please see our facebook page that has been set up:”I am OUTRAGED at the Change4life campaign” http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=7218&post=34852&uid=43506195749#/group.php?gid=43506195749
and sign the online petition: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/change4life/.
For further information please see JDRF UK website or http://www.childrenwithdiabetesuk.org/ on type 1 diabetes
My son also has Type1 Diabetes, & is not impressed that the advert tells him his Diabetes was preventable, Type1 is an autoimmune disease that CANNOT be prevented, nor was he impressed that the advert told him he would die young!
This advert should have been properly researched before being launched & upsetting both Type1 & Type2 Diabeteics (alot of Type2 Diabetes is genetically linked rather than just from poor lifestyle). Furthermore, a bad lifestyle is only a contributing factor to SOME heart diseases & SOME Cancers.
We all agree the advert looks fab, but for my son’s sake I wish someone wiyh medical knowledge had checked it before it bombarded our screens.