Head, Heart, and Feet in Exercise and Weight Management

Abstract

It has been argued that the willpower of our citizenry hasn’t measurably changed during the decades in which our nation’s waistlines have measurably expanded. I agree, and I’d also submit that a weakening of political willpower and a lack of moral courage among those of us called to leadership is the more disturbing culprit. A case needs to be made that what we know and believe as a profession is most readily measured by what we permit to happen. As you review the sum of the research in this special issue on activity, weight, and diabetes, I anticipate you will share my observation that the current action in health promotion is less about dieting, exercise prescriptions, and chronic condition management and more about the right mix of head, heart, and feet. That is, we are testing the interaction effects of education and attitudes against culture and environment and assessing how the interacting effects of these variables influence motivation and action. This special journal issue shows how great results are occurring in health promotion every day via education and culture change, and it will also bolster your courage to carry on with morality and heart.