Eugene de Blaas paintings

Eugene de Blaas paintings
Eduard Manet paintings
Unfortunately, physical education is one of the first things that gets cut when there’s a budget crunch,” says Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist at the American Council on Exercise in San Diego.And even when gym class is offered regularly, it’s almost never enough to meet the new federal guidelines that children get at least an hour of physical activity on most days of the week.Only 8 percent of elementary schools, for example, and about 6 percent of middle schools and high schools offer daily physical education classes, according to the National Education Association. For kids not involved in after-school sports, this could spell a very sedentary day.Meanwhile, the rate of obesity among youth is escalating. Among children to 11, 16 percent were overweight in 2002, compared with 7 percent in 1980, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among kids 12 to 19, 16 percent were overweight in 2002, three times more than in 1980.