Children Can Now Determine the Type of Fitness Lessons They Want to Receive

Children in the United States can now decide which type of fitness lesson they will engage in during their physical education class, according to Reuters.

"We have schools with rock climbing walls, Zumba classes, inline skating - amazing stuff that I would have loved to have when I was a kid," said Carly Braxton, senior program manager for advocacy at the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, a non-profit group that promotes physical activity and education.

"Imaginative physical education teachers are finding innovative ways to get kids moving, from snow shoeing in cold climates to treasure hunting in warm ones, even in schools constrained by local budgets or indifference," she added.

"Where there's a big Native American population, they'll bring in tribal games, hunting and fishing,"  Braxton said.

"Physical education people are among the most flexible people in the world when it comes to using the community and the environment," she further lamented.

Federal guidelines recommend children and adolescents, aged six to 17 years old, get at least one hour of physical activity daily, but in the schools where they spend much of their day, mandates for movement vary greatly.