Today in dream scenarios for people who struggle to make time for the gym: Government workers in the Turkish province of Edirne who sign up for a new program will be allowed to clock in an hour later than usual if they work out first.
The anti-obesity program is championed by Edirne governor Dursun Ali Sahin, who is on a roll. He previously banned the use of elevators to reach the first three floors in public buildings, minus hospitals and nursing homes, according to the BBC. There is some cause for concern: Turkey’s obesity rate has shot up by 44 percent from 2002 to 2014, though at 27.8 percent according to the latest data, the country is in good shape compared to the United States, which weighs in at 35 percent.
Sahin’s program, called “Our Cure is Sport,” allows for participants to be counseled on what kinds of activities might be right for them and have access to a dietitian. The two-pronged approach is a smart one as many experts believe that simply working out more won’t do much for weight loss. Seventy people have asked to join, which means they get to start work at 9:30 instead of 8:30, after working up a sweat. Still unclear: how to assess whether colleagues are hitting the treadmill and not the snooze button.
