Could yoga be the answer?

• Author: Power, Teresa Anne
• Position: Mind & Body - Essay

"BECAUSE of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits, and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents" warns former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona.

The nation, including our youth, is under siege by obesity, stress, and diseases like diabetes that stem from poor diet and lack of exercise. Even the White House has taken notice of this national epidemic by implementing a comprehensive initiative committed to solving the problem of childhood obesity. Let's Move!, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama, combines wide-ranging strategies with common sense to create a healthy start for children. This program includes improving access to healthy, affordable foods and increasing physical activity in our youth. Physical inactivity, along with unhealthy eating patterns, is one of the major causes of this pandemic afflicting the nation.

The rates of childhood obesity and inactivity in the U.S. are dramatic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 32% of American children and adolescents are overweight or obese, with childhood obesity more than doubling over the past 30 years. This increase correlates with the boom of computers and video games since the 1980s. Before that, kids were playing outside sports and burning calories instead of sitting inside playing video games. We have a generation of youth that has to make an effort to be physically active.

Children today are being raised in a digital environment where phones, iPods, laptops, and TVs are the norm. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting a child's use of TV, movies, video, and computer games to no more than one or two hours a day. This can help combat childhood obesity by freeing up time for kids to get physically active.

Obesity often is defined as more than 20% above ideal weight for a particular height and age. It is causing a broad range of health problems among today's children that previously were not seen until adulthood. This includes high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. With the effects of childhood obesity estimated to cost $147,000,000,000 per year in direct medical costs, there is a critical need to address this as an overall student health issue among our youth. Childhood obesity is common, serious, and costly.

Children gain excess weight for a variety of reasons. For example, some have a predisposition to be...