Childhood obesity is now a major problem in the United States.In children and teenagers BMI value is plotted on the CDC growth charts; obesity is then defined at having a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex. The latest numbers show that 17 percent of young people under the age of 19 are obese. Childhood obesity has dangerous implications throughout the child’s entire lifetime, including a much higher chance of diabetes.
First Lady Michelle Obama is spearheading the challenge for America to fight childhood obesity. She’s started a hugely influential campaign called ‘Let’s Move’ and she’s working hard to make it work. Her plan is to teach kids how to eat healthy and encourage exercise when they’re young, in the hopes that these are habits that will stay with them throughout their entire lives. Kids are playing more video games, watching more TV and movies and spending an average of 7.5 hours a day on entertainment media.
One of America’s favorite pastimes, tennis, is the newest sport to lend its weight to the fight against childhood obesity. The newest addition to Michelle Obama’s ‘Let’s Move’ campaign is the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Through the USTA, the First Lady is partnering with tennis celebrities Andre Agassi and his wife Steffi Graf. Their first order of business was to make Public Service Announcements (PSA) which encourage kids to pull on their junior shoes and get moving.
Ten and Under Tennis is an initiative launched by USTA to encourage kids to play tennis. The QuickStart Tennis play format has smaller courts, making it easier for little legs, and slower, lower bouncing balls.The idea is for kids to have tennis that works for them, it’s much more than just handing them a junior tennis racquet. This means more fun and less frustration, and hopefully, that will equal more time playing.
A kid that might only be 2/3 the size of an adult shouldn’t be expected to play tennis with full-sized equipment. Luckily, many manufacturers are now making kid-sized gear, including junior tennis shoes, to make playing tennis, and exercising, more fun. Choosing the right junior racquet is definitely a good place to start. The right size equipment allows them to play real tennis and experience real fun!
Exercise is an important part of ‘Let’s Move’once kids start playing tennis for one hour a day they can take the President’s Challenge. Michelle Obama and the USTA are hoping that kids find it easy to complete the President’s Challenge and play 60 minutes a day, five days a week, for six weeks during an eight week period. The USTA will use its resources to encourage 200,000 kids to take the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. But the most important thing is that the kids have fun.
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