Studies, news releases, warnings-- lots of information comes out about the fast growing rate of obesity in this country, especially among our young people. In the past few years, a movement has begun to do something about that. It's called the "New PE"-- gym classes that you wouldn't recognize. "Movement" is a good word to use because the "New PE" is all about movement-- getting young people off the couch, off the bench if they don't play a sport, off the sidelines.

One of the primary movers behind New PE is right in the Chicago area. The program in the Naperville schools has been around long enough that it's showing some unexpected benefits.

It is not your grandmother's gym class or yours for that matter. And that's the point. In the last 30 years, obesity rates have skyrocketed. Up to 25% of all teens are overweight, according to some health experts.

New approaches are necessary to get young people to move. For instance, some Chicago Park District field houses have put in exercise gear in addition to sports gear.

Naperville School District 203 took a very different course under Phil Lawler, a PE teacher who realized it was time to focus on the majority of students who were not athletes.

"They make a better life choice .. with alcohol, tobacco, etc...," said Lawler. "If physical activity was a pill, everybody would want it."

Lawler believes its important to teach young people early that being lean for life does not come with taking a pill.

As a freshman at Naperville Central, Jennifer Mayor was afraid of gym class and non-athletic.

"Being heavy was really hard. I was lazy, sick as a kid , taking prednisone," said Jennifer Mayor. "No self-esteem. No confidence."

Jennifer learned to set goals for herself daily in gym class and as she lost 40 pounds , found confidence that she could achieve goals. She's now in college.

"Once you see that you can take something and change it. I'm in school now, studying business. I don't just want to be a manager. I want to be a CEO," said Jennifer.

Self confidence is also what the New PE has brought to Jessica Wolfrum, who was a shy, quiet freshman. Achieving physical milestones made her a leader.

"You surprise yourself. You don't expect something of yourself and then you do it and then you ask 'What else can I do?'" said Jessica. "You unleash something inside. You didn't know you were so strong."

Four years since Naperville's schools were equipped with fitness centers, there are encouraging results. Compared to California, which started requiring fitness testing for its students two years ago, Naperville Central's freshmen have a phenomenal healthy rate. In aerobic fitness, 49% of California teens were rated healthy, 80% of Naperville's were. In body composition-- meaning those considered not overweight-- 68% of California teens were healthy. 97% of Naperville's freshmen were not obese.

So, is there a downside to the New PE? In a time when schools are cutting Phys Ed because money is going to improve reading and math scores, how does a school spend more than $100,000 on a fitness center? In Naperville's elementary schools, the children's obstacle course is put together with equipment the schools already had.

"It's an attitude adjustment. It's nice to have climbing walls and stuff we have in our schools, but its more about having students take responsibility for their fitness," said Supt. Donald Weber, Naperville Schools.

"Our nation has not made fitness a priority for our kids," said Lawler. "It's time that we do."

Phil Lawler compares the fitness centers with the first school computer labs of many years ago. All of Naperville's' have been paid for by money raised by parents and school booster clubs and donations from equipment companies. The next result-careful monitoring of test scores. Evidence is coming in that as fitness scores go up, test scores go up.

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Source:abclocal