By Jeffrey T Spaeth LMT, CPT

In 1953, Dr. Han Kraus, a New York professor and mountain climber, first brought attention to the declining health of Americans. He warned, “that children were losing muscle tone because of the affluent lifestyle of the 20th century America, also that American kids were way out of shape compared to their European counterparts.” Because of Dr. Kraus’s findings, the President’s Council on Youth Fitness was created in 1956 by President Eisenhower to emphasize the importance of staying active.

In 1972 the Presidential Sports Award Program was created. Remember in elementary school performing a specific number of pushups, sit ups, pull ups and the mile run? Well, times have changed; the focus used to be on the top 85 percent getting awards based on performance; today the program stresses lifelong activities like biking, walking, tennis and golf. Arnold Schwarzenegger became the chairman of the program in 1990.

Today’s Children Are Less Healthy and Less Active

Our nation’s children weigh more and are less active than ever before. Current studies show fewer than one in four children get the necessary 20 minutes of vigorous activity per day. The point is that as kids we were “programmed” to participate in sports, and keeping active was part of our daily life. There are more distractions for children and adults these days with cell phones, video games and the Internet, which leads to a sedentary lifestyle and not a healthy one.

The moral of this story is: Be a good example to your kids and your friends. Get active and stay active! The Centers for Disease Control reports that 80 percent of American adults don’t get the recommended amount of daily exercise. Make our Fitness Center at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club a part of your day. It only takes 20 minutes a day.