Remember the glorious days of our youth, when we played kickball and dodge ball during our phys-ed class? It was so much fun getting out there on the playground in the middle of the school day to kick the crud out of that ball, and hopefully impress the cute girl in the class. Back then, physical education class was not optional like it is in many schools today. Many schools across the nation have waning physical fitness programs, with some being in danger of losing these programs altogether! This at a time when nearly two-thirds of all Americans are obese or overweight- that is more than ever before in history!
Call the Gorilla crazy, but it doesn’t seem as if now is the worst time to do away with physical fitness programs in our schools! The CDC, as well as the American Pediatric Society, are urging schools to “get with the program” so to speak, to help prevent childhood obesity and to prevent future health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle during adolescence. Texas is on board with the program and is adding new testing- a physical fitness assessment test- and it might actually save lives and help to put morbidly obese children back on track to a healthier lifestyle.
Under a new state law in that state, nearly 4 million 3rd-12th graders will have their stamina, strength and flexibility, and body composition measured for the first time this school year. Some of what the test includes are timed tests such as running, doing curl-ups, trunk lifts, and push ups- just to name a few. Based on time and amount of reps the kids will be put in either a “healthy zone” or an “unhealthy” zone. Based on test results, the government of Texas will be able to determine areas of weakness so that they may “tweak” the physical fitness programs in schools to properly ensure that all areas of exercise are covered.
Some parents were not happy about the new program, saying that it is simply “way too intrusive,” and expressed fears that their kids could possibly be rejected by insurance companies if they were deemed “unfit” by the evaluation. But the tests are anonymous so there really is no basis for their concerns. Texas is spending about $2 million to implement the new program, and the Gorilla thinks it’s simply outstanding! Studies now show that almost one-third of kids in our schools are obese or at risk of becoming obese, which has caused a huge spike in the number of kids with Diabetes and other illnesses. “It puts Texas ahead of a lot of states in the nation,” said Jeff Kloster, associate commissioner for health and safety for the Texas Education Agency. “I’m proud to be in Texas because the state went forth and said, ‘We’re actually going to do something about this.’ ” Good for you Texas! Hopefully other states will begin to follow suit.