"Ninety million adults, in the United States alone, are overweight and/or obese." (Smith) With the spread of obesity has come an increasing amount of diseases and health conditions. Those that are overweight suffer form cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, hypertension, cancer and others. In addition, there are health risks such as hypertension, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and other breathing problems. With all these concerns it seems evident that some things have to change. Why is the U.S. one of the top countries when related to obesity? Why don't Americans have better fitness behavior? Most adults learned their fitness habits, or lack of, as a young child. Through the years, the problem of the increasing amount of over-weight Americans, has tired to be solved through low-carb diets, surgeries and other bazaar techniques. The truth is the importance of physical education should be stressed at a young age, allowing them to develop healthy fitness habits. Americans should learn at a young age healthy fitness habits, and use that throughout their life.
             In most school districts, physical education funding is the first to be cut. Although will knowing how to do simple addition lower your risks for heart attacks? School districts need to understand that physical education is just as important as academics. Many don't even realize that physical education incorporates academics. Physical education is an opportunity for children to learn through "doing". Being in a physical education class provides a natural chance for children to learn concepts such as around, over and under, front and behind, and above and below. In addition, children also learn about speed, distance, height, shape, color, direction, and position. Most of the concepts that they grasp in physical education they can use and related in more academic classes. For example, simply keeping score of a game, unknowing
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