House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also want to thank our impressive panel of witnesses for being here today to discuss the serious problem of childhood obesity, and the benefits of physical education.

Two out of three adults in the United States are overweight.  One out of three children are overweight.  Childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1980.

We’re now seeing children diagnosed with type II diabetes, heart disease, and depression.

What’s the primary cause of our children’s expanding waistlines?  Are children eating differently than they did 30 years ago?

Well, Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the father of the aerobics movement, shed light on these issues when he appeared before our committee.  He said:

“Increased calories are most definitely a factor in the rise of overweight children, but it’s absolutely not the only cause…A wholesale lack of physical activity is the primary reason for expanding waistlines…And 30 yrs ago, did children come home from school and eat cookies or potato chips before dinner?  Of course, they did.  But the difference is they consumed these snacks after walking or riding their bikes from school.  Then they went outside and played with their friends, unlike today, when they sit on a sofa and play video games or watch television.”

Of course, Dr. Cooper is right.  Our kids need to spend less time with the Playstation, and more time on the playground.

Although childhood obesity is a serious challenge, I approach this subject with a great deal of optimism and hope.  As someone who has lost 100 lbs over the past year, I’ve seen firsthand the power of healthy habits.

As parents, experts tell us there are three healthy habits our children should follow every day.

First, never skip breakfast.

Second, play outside one hour a day.

Third, eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Those are the exact same healthy habits that I follow, and will for life.  That is, eating a healthy breakfast, running 6 miles a day, and eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.

Exercise is also the secret to reducing stress.  By sweating big time in the gym, you don’t sweat the small stuff in life.

In the interest of straight talk, I have to confess that there can be a downside to weight loss.  As the father of four small children, including two girls under two, my wife has taken advantage of my increased energy levels.  She now makes me wash dishes, and change diapers.  Frankly, my life was easier as a fat guy.  But, I digress.

What can we do to encourage more physical activity in our public schools?  There are at least 3 things:

First, on the national level, we can pass the Fit Kids Act, H.R. 3257, co-authored by Congressmen Ron Kind and Zach Wamp to help bring back physical education in our public schools.  Congressmen Kind and Wamp are co-chairs of the Congressional Fitness Caucus, and, in my opinion, the two top leaders in the U.S. Congress when it comes to promoting physical fitness.  I’m honored to be a cosponsor of their important legislation.

The second thing we can do is to use our bully pulpit to encourage more governors to bring back PE into their states’ public school system.  For example, I’m very proud that in my home state of Florida, Governor Charlie Crist recently successfully pushed through legislation requiring physical education classes for all elementary and middle school students in Florida.

A third thing we can do is to go into our local public schools and encourage physical fitness either by helping to pass out the President’s Council on Physical Fitness Awards, or by creating our own Congressional Fitness Challenge awards.

For example, on May 2nd of this year, I took two-time Olympic gold medalist, Dr. Dot Richardson, with me to Hillcrest Elementary School in my hometown of Orlando, FL.  Dot was the shortstop on the women’s Olympic softball team, and she hit the game-winning homerun to win the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics.  She won a second gold medal in 2000.  As an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Dot Richardson showed the kids that they can be both smart and athletic at the same time.

Together, Dot and I spoke to the kids, passed out the President’s Council on Physical Fitness Awards, and handed out awards I created from my own Congressional Fitness Challenge for the boys and girls in each class who showed the most improvement over the course of the year. 

We also made some mistakes.  The PE teacher selected the fastest girl and fasted boy in the school to challenge Dot and I, respectively, to a footrace.  We accepted the challenge.  Regrettably, both Dot and I crushed our 5th grade competitors.  We were then loudly booed by over 300 kids, and some of their parents.  Next time, I’m gonna let my kid win.  I can’t afford to lose the votes.

In conclusion, I want to thank this amazing group of witnesses.  We have the top two congressional leaders on physical fitness.  We have a Heisman Trophy winner.  We have Richard Simmons, perhaps the most famous and big-hearted fitness advocate of our generation.  We also have several other well respected experts who we look forward to hearing from.

Thank you all for being with us today.

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