Move, like Rosa Mota
Today I thought of Rosa Mota, the Portuguese woman who is one of the best Marathon (and long distance) runners of all time.
She is again in the news, having established a new 10K world record for the 65 to 69 age group at the Lisbon São Silvestre Race, in a time of 35:37.
The first time I saw Rosa Mota was at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, in 1984, when she won the bronze medal in the Marathon. Later on she would win gold in the Seoul Marathon, in 1988, and in many other Marathons all over the world.
In Brazil, she won the São Paulo São Silvestre race six times. She is the most consistent female winner of the event.
But I was also reminded of Rosa Mota because today in the United States there is an interesting debate going on about obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 40% of American adults are obese. The definition for obesity is a Body Index Mass of 30 or above 30.
I don’t need scientific definitions to come to the same conclusion. All I need to do is to look around me, on the streets or in restaurants around my neighborhood. Some people can hardly walk or get up from the table.
The debate I am talking about is the one between Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee for Health Secretary in the next Donald Trump administration.
Robert F. Kennedy is a tad crazy, as evidenced by his badly concealed wish to do away with the Polio vaccination, under the false allegation that it causes autism. I recently wrote about it in this blog.
As for Elon Musk, he is the least crazy person in the world. He is instead a sharp businessman and is now promoting obesity drugs that are swamping the US market. In a country of obese people, few things are more profitable than selling drugs to lose weight.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. espouses a different view. In his opinion, the obesity problem is linked to “life style”, People need to eat less and exercise more.
That was exactly Rosa Mota’s advice when interviewed in Lisbon after breaking the 10K world record in her age group. Advice both to the young and the old: “Move”.