CVHS students weighed down by extra pounds
About 20 percent of CVHS students are overweight, according to the state Department of Education.
Exceeding the established Body Mass Index (BMI), which is calculated by taking an individual’s weight in pounds, multiplying it by 703, and dividing the result by his/her height in inches squared, can lead to many problems in the future. Being overweight makes an individual prone to many sicknesses, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, high blood pressure, shortened life span, sluggishness, and lowered mental ability.
“The statistics vary in different schools and states because of the availability of fast food and the overall lack of education,” said health teacher Sue Anderson. “The more access students have to [physical and health] education, the more knowledgeable they are about eating right.”
Though many schools, including CVHS, have a well-implemented, two-year physical education class and one semester health class, students are not taking full advantage of their resources to establish a healthy lifestyle.
“We’re doing a nutritional analysis in class to see whether students are eating well or not,” said Anderson. “I haven’t seen any significant changes in the ten years I have been teaching health; most students lack in fruits and vegetables.”
However, lack of a good diet and exercise are not the only factors that contribute to living an unhealthy life. Studies have found that people who sleep about five hours a night are more likely to become overweight than those who sleep seven or eight hours a night.
“When we lose sleep, it creates more fat and inflammation of the body, which also increases the risk of being overweight,” stated Anderson.
In order to change the lifestyle many Americans are living with, they must enforce a “balance of lots of water, green foods, and plenty of exercise.” Being overweight can lead to obesity, which “is cheating many years off of healthy lives.”
“The main problem with being overweight is that we got lazy, and got comfortable with being lazy,” said Anderson.
In 2004, 19.6 percent of CVUSD students were deemed to be overweight according to state standards.
“The average has definitely shifted in the past generation,” informed science teacher Laura O’Brien. “The average weight a generation ago is considered skinny now.”
Students can prevent becoming a victim to obesity through plenty of exercise and sleep, as well as a healthy diet that contains an abundance of vitamins and nutrients.
“If we don’t establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle, we are going to keep feeding this problem…pun intended,” said Anderson.
Exceeding the established Body Mass Index (BMI), which is calculated by taking an individual’s weight in pounds, multiplying it by 703, and dividing the result by his/her height in inches squared, can lead to many problems in the future. Being overweight makes an individual prone to many sicknesses, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, high blood pressure, shortened life span, sluggishness, and lowered mental ability.
“The statistics vary in different schools and states because of the availability of fast food and the overall lack of education,” said health teacher Sue Anderson. “The more access students have to [physical and health] education, the more knowledgeable they are about eating right.”
Though many schools, including CVHS, have a well-implemented, two-year physical education class and one semester health class, students are not taking full advantage of their resources to establish a healthy lifestyle.
“We’re doing a nutritional analysis in class to see whether students are eating well or not,” said Anderson. “I haven’t seen any significant changes in the ten years I have been teaching health; most students lack in fruits and vegetables.”
However, lack of a good diet and exercise are not the only factors that contribute to living an unhealthy life. Studies have found that people who sleep about five hours a night are more likely to become overweight than those who sleep seven or eight hours a night.
“When we lose sleep, it creates more fat and inflammation of the body, which also increases the risk of being overweight,” stated Anderson.
In order to change the lifestyle many Americans are living with, they must enforce a “balance of lots of water, green foods, and plenty of exercise.” Being overweight can lead to obesity, which “is cheating many years off of healthy lives.”
“The main problem with being overweight is that we got lazy, and got comfortable with being lazy,” said Anderson.
In 2004, 19.6 percent of CVUSD students were deemed to be overweight according to state standards.
“The average has definitely shifted in the past generation,” informed science teacher Laura O’Brien. “The average weight a generation ago is considered skinny now.”
Students can prevent becoming a victim to obesity through plenty of exercise and sleep, as well as a healthy diet that contains an abundance of vitamins and nutrients.
“If we don’t establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle, we are going to keep feeding this problem…pun intended,” said Anderson.