Children in the United States are steadily becoming less fit and more overweight due to increasingly sedentary lifestyles. A recent survey done by the International Life Sciences Institute shows that fewer than one out of four children in grades 4 through 12 get vigorous physical activity daily. Video games have replaced backyard games; television has replaced bike-riding and roller-skating; and high-fat fast foods have replaced family meals at the dinner table. Indeed, our lifestyles now dictate that we rush from one activity to the next, but unfortunately we do this rushing while sitting in a car. We even drive-through to get our meals, and often eat in such a hurry that no attention is paid to what was consumed. Surveys of middle school students show that very few consume any fruits or vegetables on a given day, and even fewer participate in regular exercise. Therefore, students need to be motivated and encouraged to make regular physical activity an integral part of their "personal health environment."

Physical fitness is:
	a composite of intellectual, emotional, social, and physical well-being. comprised of muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility a state of cardiovascular health that enables a person to exercise large muscle groups for long periods of time.