Know what is fun? Playing games like basketball and hockey, and splashing around in the water. Riding bikes is fun, and so is running in races.
In fact, many activities that happen to require a lot of exercise are fun. So why aren't more kids in Missoula regularly participating in these activities?
As reported in a Missoulian story earlier this week, researchers studied the daily habits of hundreds of Missoula children and concluded that activity levels were highest among elementary students. At the elementary-school level, 78 percent of Missoula students meet national health guidelines, which call for a total of one hour of moderate activity five days a week. Only 27 percent met national fitness guidelines, meaning they get the equivalent of 20 minutes of jogging three days out of seven.
Slightly more than half of middle-school students meet the same health guidelines, and 12 percent of them meet fitness guidelines.
But by the time they reach high school, only 11 percent of students meet national health guidelines, and a mere 2 percent meet national fitness guidelines. Here, in Missoula - in the middle of a recreational paradise that practically begs us to move around outdoors all year long.
Are the fees and costs of equipment too high? Are the physical education and sports programs in our public schools underfunded? Is technology to blame, since kids are spending so much more time watching TV and surfing the Web? Or are too few parents demonstrating how to lead an active lifestyle because their own lives have become more sedentary?
Maybe it's all of the above.
It's unnerving that, despite the evidence that our children are leading less active lives, we are nevertheless cutting back on physical education classes for our youth. Of course, it's not the school's responsibility alone to teach our children good habits when it comes to being physically active - but we can't help but think that it's time to bring back the emphasis on physical education in our schools.
We all know the health benefits of physical activity, but there are mental and behavioral benefits as well. We owe it to not only our youth, but to our teachers, to get our kids active during the school day.
We can understand why elementary students tend to be more active. They have mandatory physical education classes twice a week, and each class is 30 to 45 minutes long depending on the students' grade level. They also have more opportunities to participate in organized sports, because teams are much less competitive at the elementary and middle-school level.
We know of at least one middle school in Missoula that requires its students to take P.E. every day for half the school year - yet they have no P.E. classes at all for the second half of the school year.
High-school P.E. is required for only two years. For the majority of high-school students who don't make the athletic teams, the choice is theirs to take upper-level electives or, if they are athletically inclined, to participate in intramural sports. But by the time they are in high school, many habits, good and bad, have already been formed.
Unfortunately, the opportunities for high-school students to participate in school activities may be shrinking further. This last week, Missoula County Public Schools officials discussed the possibility of cutting some high-school sports programs, including football, tennis and swimming, in order to meet next year's budget.
We understand that resources are limited and schools have to make the best of a tough situation, but we hope they can at least discuss other ways to require more physical activity for our students.
Some teachers in other school districts have already found a way to get their students moving - without spending any extra money at all.
These teachers simply take a few minutes out of the beginning of each school day to jog a mile or so with their students. Done first thing in the morning, it helps perk up their minds and calm overly boisterous behavior. The kids seem to enjoy running with their teachers and peers. Some of them just walk briskly and chat with their friends. Others race to see who can get the best time.
Perhaps Missoula's teachers should be encouraged to jog or walk with their students as well. Maybe the entire school district could give it a try.
We realize that such an initiative probably wouldn't be enough, on its own, to reverse the numbers and place Missoula's children among the most physically active in the nation. But it could be one small step that, combined with other steps, helps our children get up and running down the road to better health and better habits.
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