In the last five years, our school system has made some major changes in our cafeterias.Mostly the change has been with the food that they serve our students.Yes, it is important to look at how many calories a person consumes in a day.So, no doubt that nutrition is an important part of students’ lives.My question has been since the start of this process is this:How can we change what students are eating and expect childhood obesity to decrease when a major part of the puzzle is missing…EXERCISE!!We have started monitoring our children’s caloric intake but ignored the way their bodies burn those calories. The American Heart Association indicates that elementary children are supposed to have 150 minutes of physical education each week, while middle and high school should have 225 minutes during that same time frame.Sadly, only five states consistently abide by these standards and only 2% of our nation’s schools provide physical daily activity for students.
A recent article in USA Today discusses physical education and how it is being “squeezed out” of our students’ daily schedules because of budget cuts and testing.The National Youth Risk Behavior Survey asked high school students about their physical inactivity and poor nutrition.The findings showed that students who had no exercise and ate poorly scored lower in school.With testing and required assessments, classroom teachers have so many other tasks and responsibilities related to their curriculum.This causes them to lose concern with exercise, except when the energy is high in the classroom.Exercise and physical activity are seen as time consumers that detract from instructional time, even though studies prove that exercise helps our students.Not only does exercise help people avoid long-term health problems and control obesity, it improves academic performance.We ask our students to remember and learn so much more because of all the demands from testing, but we are not increasing the physical activity they need to boost brain development!
I believe that all students should have the time allotted for physical education EVERY day.Studies show our children need this for academic success.Fifty years ago, President Kennedy declared that exercise be a national priority.What happened?We are a nation of overweight, out-of-shape citizens.Obesity levels are four times higher than they were in the 1960’s.Our schools are supposed to support what’s best for our children.Shouldn’t we, as President Kennedy said, make exercise a priority for our children to help them physically, mentally, and socially?
In the last five years, our school system has made some major changes in our cafeterias. Mostly the change has been with the food that they serve our students. Yes, it is important to look at how many calories a person consumes in a day. So, no doubt that nutrition is an important part of students’ lives. My question has been since the start of this process is this: How can we change what students are eating and expect childhood obesity to decrease when a major part of the puzzle is missing…EXERCISE!! We have started monitoring our children’s caloric intake but ignored the way their bodies burn those calories. The American Heart Association indicates that elementary children are supposed to have 150 minutes of physical education each week, while middle and high school should have 225 minutes during that same time frame. Sadly, only five states consistently abide by these standards and only 2% of our nation’s schools provide physical daily activity for students.
A recent article in USA Today discusses physical education and how it is being “squeezed out” of our students’ daily schedules because of budget cuts and testing. The National Youth Risk Behavior Survey asked high school students about their physical inactivity and poor nutrition. The findings showed that students who had no exercise and ate poorly scored lower in school. With testing and required assessments, classroom teachers have so many other tasks and responsibilities related to their curriculum. This causes them to lose concern with exercise, except when the energy is high in the classroom. Exercise and physical activity are seen as time consumers that detract from instructional time, even though studies prove that exercise helps our students. Not only does exercise help people avoid long-term health problems and control obesity, it improves academic performance. We ask our students to remember and learn so much more because of all the demands from testing, but we are not increasing the physical activity they need to boost brain development! 
I believe that all students should have the time allotted for physical education EVERY day. Studies show our children need this for academic success. Fifty years ago, President Kennedy declared that exercise be a national priority. What happened? We are a nation of overweight, out-of-shape citizens. Obesity levels are four times higher than they were in the 1960’s. Our schools are supposed to support what’s best for our children. Shouldn’t we, as President Kennedy said, make exercise a priority for our children to help them physically, mentally, and socially? 
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