Most of these children are not getting any exercise at all – at home or at school – and it shows.
Please remember that I began having weight issues at the age of ten so I know what it’s like to be an overweight child. But there are a couple differences when you compare my childhood to the children of today. First, I had no choice about taking gym or physical education class; it was part of the curriculum until I started junior high school. It was good for me and increased my heart rate for 40 minutes or so every Monday through Friday. Then, when I came home from school, I’ll admit that I enjoyed an hour or so on the couch enjoying a salty, high calorie snack while watching my favorite afternoon television shows…(don’t laugh) Gilligan’s Island and The Brady Bunch, but then I went outside to ride my bike with neighborhood friends. It’s just what we did. We all kept active. Even though I was overweight I still wasn’t even close to being morbidly obese. Sadly, that began once the high school years began when P.E. class was no longer required. Soon my bike was hung in the corner of the garage and my new mode of transportation was my blue Ford Mustang. Exercise became a thing of my past.
And what is really sad is that when I was overweight during my high school years, there were only a few others that were obese like me. If I were in high school today, half of the class would join me! They are already on the road to unhealthy lives. And do you know what really bothers me? They will most likely become larger as the years pass and their entire lives will be affected by this. Don’t think that being MORBIDLY OBESE doesn’t affect almost every aspect of your life – it does. It changes (lowers) your energy, self esteem and confidence levels, how others treat you, often your career (and possibly your income level), and, most importantly, your health. Why don’t they teach THAT in high school? I probably could have used that information more than being taught the birth years of all the presidents, the names of each river in South America, or the lengthy geometry theorems.
But as the years pass, more and more schools are choosing to eliminate physical education. Does this bother me? You bet it does! A large percentage of these children do not get any physical activity when they are at home and now they won’t be getting any at school either. I do agree that this is mostly the responsibility of the parents to see that their children get some form of daily physical exercise, but sadly this is often overlooked because of the parent’s hectic schedules. Children are closer and closer to becoming morbidly obese, but hey, they can text a message on their cell phone quicker than you can “blink an eye.” That will benefit their future immensely….. right.
If only these children knew that at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity could prevent obesity from occurring or cure it! Weight bearing activity, such as WALKING, can be their and your answer to better health! Please take a moment to click on the NEWS / EVENTS tab above. You will find an entire list of Michigan walking events that you and your children can participate in! Most are FREE and all can be great FUN! Spring is here – the weather is great – and it’s time to get some physical activity… for you and your family. It’s something you can LEARN to do that WILL benefit your future and most likely prolong it too! WALKING WORKS – teach THAT in school!
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