Summer is over, school is starting ... but for the most part P.E. isn't.

What? You think school has that covered? Wake-up, because all states in the U.S. have eliminated the mandatory requirement for P.E. in grades K-12.

As the mother of 5 and 7 year old boys, this is the most ridiculous and, quite frankly, frightening thing I've heard in some time. Susan Powter is right - "Stop the Insanity!"

While some of you may be haunted by memories of being whipped by dodge balls in elementary school, or not being fit enough to play midfield in soccer, that's no excuse not to have it in our schools and it's no excuse not to fight for it. The truth is, if we don't have physical education in our classrooms we will continue to have higher rates of overweight sedentary children.

Here are a few facts:

• One in three U.S. children born in 2000 will contract Type II diabetes unless their lifestyles emphasize eating less and exercising more. The odds are one in two for African American and Hispanic children. (National Center for Health Statistics)
• Daily attendance in P.E. dropped from 42% to 25% among high school students between 1991 and 1995. (U.S.Department of Health and Human Services, 1996)
• One in four children does not attend any school P.E., and fewer than one in four children get 20 minutes of vigorous activity every day. (National Association for Sport & Physical Education)
• Kids born today are expected to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents due to inactivity and diet. (Obesity Week, Feb 3, 2002: v2, #5) This is serious people... if things don't change your children will not live as long as you!

So just remember, there are strength in numbers...TELL A FRIEND and help get kids active. By sharing the facts with your friends, we can increase the awareness of this situation and the impact we can have on kids' lives.