Children Are Less Active And Becoming Obese

Online, March 15, 2011 (Newswire.com) - When we were young we could not wait to go outside from our home and play or wait for recess at school so we can have some fun outside. We were even delighted when we had our physical education classses because it was always some sport or physical activity that we enjoyed.

Nowadays children can opt out of physical education class in school and rarely go outside and play because the ps3 or WII has them captivated. The issue is becoming more serious as childhood obesity is on the rise

Check out this article by Shreya Chopra on The Leader Post on the subject:

Remember those days when the bell rang and your heart filled with joy at the thought of getting recess?

Today, that period of pure enjoyment is getting shorter and shorter -and is even accompanied by restrictions.

Kids are not allowed to play many games, such as tag, because of fear of someone getting hurt.

According to www.aboutkidshealth.ca kids perform better academically with exercise and have a need for more than 15 minutes of recess time. But some schools, such as our own elementary schools in Regina, want more class time and less playtime, so children are being marched back into the school within a mere 15 minutes.

Recess is becoming a lesser priority because adults want kids to have an early start on the playing field of life. Society seeks perfection in everything: jobs, grades and looks -and this is where obesity comes into play.

Everyone wants to be healthy and look fit, but most kids don't get a chance. Healthy habits are developed in childhood and as kids are allowed less time on the playing field, they learn to become lethargic and will soon acquire an unwillingness for physical activity.

In this era of video games and computer technology, kids already need much encouragement to get out and get some exercise. Recess should be the least that a kid can get.

As reported by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, four out of five Canadian youth are not measuring up to international fitness guidelines for maximum development and growth. Everyone watches and complains about childhood obesity as recess was taken away from middle schools and the requirement for physical education classes is stripped away after Grade 10.

In Canada, childhood obesity has grown by more than 50 per cent in the past 15 years, as reported by the Canadian Medical Association Journal. This means more juvenile diabetes, more high cholesterol and more high blood pressure. Once considered adult diseases, these now are prominent in obese children and are accompanied by low selfesteem. According to the Canadian Physical Activity Guide, kids should be getting at least 90 minutes of exercise every day, and the most that North American elementary schools offer, on average, is 27.8 minutes for Grade 1 and 23.8 minutes for Grade 6, says the American National Centre for Education Statistics.

Kids should have the freedom of running around and playing whatever they want, to actually feel the air flowing through her hair and to connect with nature.

It has been proven that long periods without recess cause children to become distracted, and kids who are physically active perform better academically. Statistics show that, at the rate we are going, this generation will be the first to not outlive its parents.

Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Minimizing+recess+maximizing+obesity/4433578/story.html#ixzz1GekwJjIs

With all the health concerns surrounding childhood obesity and obesity in general we could be in for a very interesting future where parents outlive children. It should be noted as well that the so called baby boomers are getting more exercise and paying closer attention to their health. You don't see a 55 or 60 year old with the WII controller in their hand.