Hey there! John here and I hope you are continuing to kick butt in your fitness and fat loss goals.
I wanted to write to day about a topic that really upsets me and at the same time motivates me to continue to do my part. That topic is childhood obesity and the epidemic it is becoming.
The reason I’m fired up right now is because of an article I came across by the Times Online over in the UK. (you can read it here). In a nutshell, it states that kids with consistent Physical Education in school do not have more weekly activity than kids with very little P.E. per week. To me, this means that the active kids in P.E. are just as at risk for becoming overweight and obese and I have to disagree.
As a previous fat kid in middle school, I can tell you that P.E. was probably one of the things that helped keep me from ever reaching any type of “obese” level. Toss in some organized sports (thank you Mom and Dad) and I liked to refer to myself as the chubby, funny kid. 
But I also know the lack of self-confidence and self-esteem I had. I remember being embarrassed about taking my shirt off for swim parties, etc. And I don’t really want any child to have to go through that.
With more and more schools experiencing budget cuts, P.E. is usually one of the first things to go. This not only leads to kids being far less active, but also never really learning more about different types of games, sports etc. It also doesn’t give them a “fun” period to play with friends besides recess.
Especially in a day and age where you find more and more teenagers and even younger elementary school kids with Iphones, video games, Ipods, and other gadgets, now is an even more important time to get kids hooked on exercise and keep them moving!!
When I was in San Mateo running a small health club we were able to do our part and participate in an after-school activities program with some kids over at Parkside Elementary School and get them excited to exercise! You should have seen them run around, laughing and having a great time while also learning about the rules of certain games and sports and how to play them.
And that is what we need to do! We need to get kids excited about exercise at an early age and continue it through middle school and high school. Accompanied with proper nutrition habits and staying away from those freaking energy drinks (which kids drink like a damn drug) and we are on our way to getting rid of this crisis.
What do you think about all this? I’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comment section!
Talk to you soon!
Dedicated to your success,
John
John, I completely agree with you. I have a niece who complained when her then two year old wouldn’t drink anything but Coke. I fired back, why does she even know what it taste like? My niece and her two teen age daughters are now all very overweight. Parents need to set the example, kids usually follow what they see and live.
I get my 4 year old grandson outside whenever we can, he loves to kick a ball. He hasn’t mastered attempted the Jumping Jacks or Burpees I show him, yet.
Thank you for posting about this! I used to teach a Kids in Motion after school fitness program and it was amazing to see that kids are getting larger and after school “active” playtime is diminishing. Not to mention that kids as young as 6 and 7 years old are embarrassed about their bodies and developing disordered thinking about food and exercise! As nutrition counselor, I have many clients who are very concerned with their children’s weight, lack of activity, and addiction to sugar. It is critical that we do are part to get those children in our lives to enjoy being active and playing outside instead of keeping them glued to their smart phone or computer!
@Terri I couldn’t agree more. I think parents setting the example is very important. And can’t wait to see that 4 year old bust out some jumping jacks and burpees!
@Sara, very true and thanks for your perspective! In this day and age, the less video games, phones and computers for kids, the better!