When school starts students dread the return of homework, but when physical education teachers start taking down heights and weights we all know what’s around the corner: fitness reports.

Although these reports are merely a sheet of paper, they show students whether or not they are healthy according to test results. The healthy kids brush it off as another grade, but for those who may be a bit over the average these fitness reports bring them back to reality and forces them to realize it’s time to change. It’s time to rethink the next bag of Cheetos and the cans of Monster Energy drinks. Like a pesky alarm, the fitness report nags you until you get up and change.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) obesity among kids has become one of the most critical public health problems in the United States. The percentage of adolescents aged from 12 – 19 years who were obese has increased from 5% to 18% between 1980 and 2010.

Obese adolescents are at risk for adult health problems such as Type II Diabetes, strokes, cancer, and bone and joint problems. Psychologically, adolescents that are obese are more likely to have poor self-esteem and feel shamed by the public.

Fitness reports don’t publically shame a child for possibly being overweight.  It does not make them feel guilty from eating that chocolate bar yesterday. Rather, it gives them the truth.  With the several tests it uses to describe the healthiness of a student like the frightful push-ups or the sit-ups, it creates a sort of guideline to say what work needs to be done.

“These fitness reports give the students a guide to show what they need to improve on and gives tips [on] how they can obtain good health,” said Ms. Handley, a physical education teacher at MLEC.

Schools like MLEC play a huge role in spreading knowledge about obesity and how it affects the body. These fitness reports are only one method to help kids fully realize that maybe that entire box of candy wasn’t the best idea. Here at MLEC, P.E. teachers like Ms. Handley encourage us to get into the Healthy Fitness Zone by making us run the terrible Mile Run and continuously exercise during class. But these aren’t as bad as they seem; maybe we’re just too lazy to acknowledge that at the end of the year we are stronger, healthier.

Unfortunately, there are always those kids who complain that the exercises are too hard and that they are embarrassed to do sit-ups in front of everyone. But maybe that’s because they aren’t used to this because they sit on the couch all day and munch on Lays chips.

The evidence of students’ hard work comes when students receive their fitness reports in April. Students freak out when the bar graphs show they need improvement or that they are in the health risk area. They don’t understand that the reason they walked the mile “run” and flopped on the ground during the push-up test was that they never practiced.

A fitness report only shows the facts. Whether there is a change in their health is completely up to the student. I guess it’s true when they say practice makes perfect.