More Fitness Programs Needed in Schools

According to health experts, children in US schools need more appropriate fitness classes than they benefit from at this point. The scientists say that the current level of physical exercises existent in schools is nowhere enough to avert the large number of obesity cases recorded in the country. The disease is a trait of the developed world, and it affects more than 2 thirds of all Americans, who are either straight up obese or simply overweight.

According to author Frederick Hahn, who has recently published the “Strong Kids, Healthy Kids” book, the emphasis should be moved away from low-intensity aerobic exercises, towards strength training and preaching to teens and children about the benefits of healthy eating. He says that the physical exercises the youth undergoes in school is for nothing, if, after they get home, they eat foods that are high on calories and saturated fats. All the effort of the day becomes useless at that point.

“All kids need to let off steam. But almost all the so-called fitness programs for kids are wrong-headed,” Hahn has told Reuters in an interview. The author of the book, who is also the co-founder of the National Council for Exercise Standards (NCES), advocates the necessity of installing exercise machines in school gyms. He shares that this measure, combined with a low-carbohydrate diet, is the only way to combat teen obesity at its inception stage.

“Strength training is exercise 'concentrate.' You can use a lot less of it,” he adds. That is to say, only 30 minutes of intense physical exercise per week are enough to speed up the metabolism and get the body running better. However, he pinpoints, only physical exercises will not get kids away from the threat of obesity. There are numerous factors to consider in the onset of this disease, including the influence of parents and that of peers, as well as a youngster's appetite for sweets and fatty food.

Other people uphold dance as another way of making US children more fit. New York City school teacher Diane Gallagher states that New York City “public schools have gym only once a week, so that is where it is needed the most. The kids get some exercise while having fun. I use a variety of music from swing, Broadway musicals, even a little James Brown and Beach Boys. My goal is to introduce kids to the pleasure of dance. There are no wrong answers in dance.”