HEALTH & WELLNESS

 

Therefore, the Surgeon General recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.  However, due to budgetary constraints and the increased pressure to improve standardized test scores many school officials have chosen to substantially cut-back on Physical Education and other physical activity programs.  According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) children and adolescents aged 2 -19 years of age are obese.  The obesity rate among children and adolescents has almost tripled since 1980.  Charles B. Corbin, a professor at Arizona State University defined “Wellness” as, “a multidimensional state of being describing the existence of positive health in an individual as exemplified by quality of life and a sense of well-being.”  In other words “Wellness” is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence which involves our spiritual, social, physical and intellectual needs.