Physical activity offers a broad range of benefits, including the prevention of obesity, improved self confidence, and an overall sense of well-being. Physical education programs within the school setting can set the stage for how children view physical fitness, activity levels, and future health. Physical education programs also include general health and safety information in addition to providing opportunities for students to learn how to cooperate with one another in a team setting.

A Lifetime of Health

(more…)

Bookmark or Share This Article:

In educational circles these days, subjects like reading, math, and science generally get top billing in local school districts. And at the bottom comes music, art, and physical education… often in that order. In other words, when the local budget slashers look at where they can cut educational funds and services, physical education suddenly gets an unwanted spotlight.

The Big Challenge

But interestingly enough with the recent challenge of childhood obesity getting so much media attention, physical educators suddenly have a golden opportunity to turn the tables, and transform themselves from budget cutting victims into indispensable community heroes.

(more…)

Bookmark or Share This Article:

President John F. Kennedy sparked our enthusiasm for fitness with his challenge of an old
executive order dating back to Theodore Roosevelt, which challenged Marine officers to walk 50 miles in 20 hours. He challenged the White House staff to take a 50-mile hike. JFK’s brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, accepted the challenge and walked the 50 miles wearing leather oxford shoes.

American citizens mistakenly thought the President had challenged the public to undertake 50-mile hikes. The Council office quickly explained that while walking for exercise was strongly encouraged, the Council was not sponsoring the hike.

(more…)

Bookmark or Share This Article:

Remember your physical education (PE) classes in school? If your experience was anything like mine, it was a class you truly hated. And if, like me, you were not a natural athlete, your painful memories may have actually discouraged you from exercising later in life.

A recent New York Times article, Putting the Gym Back in Gym Class (October 13, 2005), explores this problem and examines what some PE professionals have proposed to improve the situation. In part this re-evaluation is due to the sharp curtailment of school PE programs in recent years. As the article explains, School administrators began cutting physical education programs…because of the way many classes were taught. Budget cutters

(more…)

Bookmark or Share This Article:

Obesity can be a problem as early as kindergarten for some children. Children who suffer from obesity will most likely endure a lifelong struggle with physical and emotional consequences.

Physical effects of obesity in children include difficulty keeping up with physical activities, problems sleeping, and trouble with breathing. Not only are obese children more often affected by asthma, they also have problems with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is being recognized with more frequency as the incidence of pediatric obesity rises. Clinically significant effects on learning and memory function have been documented in children with obstructive sleep apnea as a consequence of obesity. (Must, Aviva, Ph.D., ET AL, 2003 “Effects of Obesity on

(more…)

Bookmark or Share This Article: