That's Fit

That image of the teen slug with one tentacle dipped into a Doritos bag and the other clutching the TV remote? It's true. When it comes to exercise, a new study reveals teens are nowhere nears as active as their pre-teen days.

Researchers tracked activity levels of 1,000 U.S. kids between 2000-2006. Sadly, 90 percent of 9-year-olds exercise a couple hours a day compared to fewer than 3 percent of 15-year-olds. Even worse, fewer than a third of the teens benefited from the minimum government recommendation of one hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise a day. The study's lead author cites increasing use of video games, computers and less recess and gym in schools as potential culprits. No way is my soon-to-be seven-year-old getting that Nintendo handheld for his birthday!

Sure, it's understandable a teen wouldn't run around as much as a toddler, but the fact that more than two-thirds of teens are extremely inactive is frightening. Maybe there's some hope once you hit your 20s -- I recall watching plenty of General Hospital and eating Doritos during high school sports off-season, then hitting the gym during college to avoid the freshman fifteen and meet hot guys. However my favorite one-hour credit recreation class in college was Stretching and Relaxation.