Get some exercise, then go have a smoke.

by Karen Siegel

While waiting in the Madrid Barajas Airport earlier this month, I came across a Wii Fit demo station - very cool. I tried it out, and had a blast, and was impressed with the airport for encouraging healthy lifestyles and quick, in-transit workouts. There were even quite a few people trying out the demo, and looked like they were enjoying it. The system first does a Body Test, which measure your center of balance, Body Mass Index (BMI), and body control and based on these results, determines your Wii Fit Age. Next I did some yoga and a really fun balance game, received a certificate of completion, and was sent on my way.

Upon completing the demo, I exited and continued on my way, only to find - literally 2 feet further down the walkway - a "smoker's box" FILLED with smokers (considerably more people were smoking than had been trying out Wii Fit, unfortunately). I had never seen one of these boxes, but had heard about them at a recent Rudd Center talk. For those who have never seen one, imagine going to the zoo and looking at exhibits - however, instead of observing cute furry animals, you can actually observe firsthand and secondhand smoke simultaneously. The box was filled with so much smoke that it looked like it may have been on fire. And although the box was completely enclosed, the unmistakable aroma of tobacco and the thousands of other chemicals wafts out and fills your nose and lungs as you walk by.

The juxtaposition of these two airport facilities, and their proximity, is hard to miss, but I think demonstrates pretty well the need to tackle all 3 risk factors for chronic disease simultaneously to avoid mixed messages such as this one.

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