The bell rings at 7:37 a.m. and a group of students enter their math class. For the next 52 minutes they sit and take notes until they hear the bell, when they take a three minute walk to their next period class.
When the final school bell sounds, some students proceed onto buses or into their cars and head home. Some stay after for extracurricular activities or clubs while others return later that evening for their respective team’s practice.
“Due to changes in technology we are seeing higher risks in having health issues,” said Mrs. McGuire, a SKHS health teacher who has been trying to teach her freshman health classes the importance of staying active.
Recent studies have linked those who spend ample amounts of time sitting still have the same risks for high blood pressure and high cholesterol as smokers and those with unhealthy diets.
A study carried out by the University of Hong Kong Department of Health reported that a sedentary lifestyle can be more dangerous than smoking. In this study, researchers looked at the amount of physical activity that a given person took part in and found a correlation between a given person’s physical activity level and their risk of dying.
According to the University of Hong Kong study, 20 percent of all deaths of people older than 35 are due to a lack of physical activity. Perhaps the most shocking statistic was that the risk of dying from cancer increases by 45 percent in sedentary men and 28 percent in sedentary women.
“Some people spend way too much time sitting around,” said senior football
and basketball player Ty Stromley.
Those who are not a member of a sports team at school may exercise on their own. Then later in the evening most students will wind down by watching television, playing videogames or surfing the web.
For some students, walking through the halls may be the most physical activity they do all day.
Currently today’s generation of teenaged Americans is the most at risk of suffering from some sort of health issue. In 2009, nearly 30 percent of the citizens in 14 states were overweight. Not only are
Americans is the most at risk of suffering from some sort of health issue. In 2009, nearly 30 percent of the citizens in 14 states were overweight. Not only are Americans getting bigger on the outside, they are experiencing even bigger problems internally.
“1 in 6 teens are overweight. By remaining sedentary they are increasing their risk of having diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease,” said Mrs. McGuire.
A recent study done by the American Heart Association looked at health data of 8,800 men and women age 25 or older and asked the participants to record their hours spent watching television.
The study showed that those who watch more than four hours of television a day have an 80 percent greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those who watch less than two hours a day.
“There are definitely some students who should engage in more physical activity,” said McGuire. This applies to everyone, whether they are underweight, overweight, or obese.
Technology has simplified our lives so much in the 21st century that humans no longer need to lift a finger. Elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, and automobiles, critics say, have virtually turned society idle. People now rely on machines for transportation more than ever before.
The rates of obesity of people who live in cities have historically been lower than those who do not simply because they must walk everyone.
“People have become lazy because there are so many new electronics,” said Stromley.
One hundred years ago people washed their clothes with a washboard, washed dishes by hand, walked to the majority of their destinations, and even grew their own food and gardened.
“Many older people still don’t have a dishwasher,” said McGuire. Perhaps they know something that we don’t.
“We need to be more active rather than it just being part of our work routine,” stated McGuire. “If (being active) is not part of your lifestyle you need to make it.”
