Activeness in America
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are 12.7 million (17%) children and adolescents ageing from two to nineteen that are obese in the US. Also, students that participate in physical activity have about a .2 higher GPA than students who don’t. Teaching children to be active is a very important topic because it is shown to help kids do better in school and being active raises the rate of healthy kids. Being healthy is shown to have many positive impacts on people such as having a happier mindset.
In Los Angeles Amy Roegler and her husband, Octavio Herrera, have two kids, Jake age 10 and Alyssa age 8, who both participate in sports. Jake has had a deep passion for baseball since he was little and plays it currently. Alyssa has always been around bars since the age of 2, so she is currently thriving in gymnastics. The Herrera parents not only notice that participating in sports has helped keep their children in good health condition, but it is important to participate in sports because it can be very beneficial in other ways also. Through sports they feel their kids have learned/are learning many important life lessons like winning, losing, working hard, and many other things.
An organization that helps get kids get more active is a non profit organization called Project Fit America. Project Fit America is a national organization that started in 1990, and they do their work for K-8 schools across the United States. Project Fit America has helped over 1000 schools in 300 cities in 46 different states. The goal of this organization is to develop self-esteem, help kids understand their body, and expose kids to fitness and exercise as fun activities. Also, they work hard to teach kids important life skills such as leadership, sportsmanship, and good character. Project Fit America also provides the new state of the art equipment for the schools that they volunteer at. Their trainers are Physical Education teachers who were previously helped out by PFA, and they then continued to have the physical education field strive at their school. Allow though you are not allowed to directly help, you may donate money to the Project Fit America organization by contacting them by cell, 800-711-4348, emailing them at projectfitamerica.org, or sending it to Boyes Hot Springs, CA 95416.
Getting kids involved in active activities is very important to not only the health of the younger American society, but also it helps shape kids in positive ways. We, the American people, should all continue to work hard towards getting kids and adolescents more active.
Works Cited
"Childhood Overweight and Obesity." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 09 Nov. 2015. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.
"High School Sports Participation Increases for 22nd Straight Year." US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. Ac11 Mar. 2016.
"Project Fit America." Project Fit America. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.