Anybody else watching this? I felt so bad for the kids the first day. They are so overweight and out of shape. I am glad that they are getting the help they need now. It seems like Shaq is really trying to make a difference in young peoples lives, trying to work with schools for more excercise programs and better school lunches. I am a firm believer that something needs to be done early to combat the weight problem we have in America. 10-20 years from now there are going to be some real consequences for all of us (even those not overweight) if we don't start doing something other than surgery and fad diets.

yep we watch as a family my oldest ds 6 at the age of 4 was classifed on the overweight chart his bmi was to high so we got 10lbs off him in a matter of 2 months and he has maintained that weight for 2 years now and is now a normal weight for his age it helps he got taller to...i feel these parents need a little extra help i think these kids could be loosing more than they are.....hopefully they will be at a healthy weight when this show is over....

i can't believe they don't have gym class thats crazy our district is totally into physical fitness my son has gym class every other day for 45 minutes and also has 3 25 minute recesses and if we bring him to school a half hour before school starts(wich we do) they have another supervised recesse for the kids....plus they serve somewhat healthy lunches they make alot from scratch and if we have healthy recipies that kids like they want them and will make them and try them out on the kids...i guess we totally lucked out to be in this small town with an awesome district....

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I watch this as well. It shocked me that only 6% of the country's schools have mandatory PE classes. In school, it was mandatory for us, and I thought that's what every school did. I hated it and always wished we could test out of it if we were able, but it kept me (and everyone else) active, even if people just did the bare minimum during class. We were required to run a mile and do a Presidential Fitness Test as well every year, whether you were an all-star super-fit athlete or not. Our PE was every other day as well, and we did tons of different sports, swimming in the winter and track/field in the summer. It makes me sad to see such a problem with kids' weight nowadays. I'm glad Shaq is taking a stand for kids all across the country and trying to make a difference that will SAVE THEIR LIVES. This isn't some makeover show to make someone look prettier. This show is following someone's quest to make America's children healthier and give them the chance to live longer, more healthy lives than the ones so many are destined to have if they continue on the current path. I hope the kids really start taking it seriously - 20 pounds in 4 months is not as well as they could be doing; I think that the reward of going to the Heat game really boosted their esteem though, so I'm interested to see how they do now that they've each lost 20 pounds. Maybe this will get them more motivated.

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I watch it too! I love that he is trying to help them and it is nice that it is on tv to let us all know how truly bad it is getting! I too was shocked to see only 6% have madatory gym class- thank goodness my dd has gym class (even the dreaded presidential fitness program- I hated that in school- mainly the mile run- I hate running- I think mainly due to me having asthma when I was young!).

Yep, the show takes place with kids from my school district. Shaq is basically a community hero down in these parts and it seems like there is nothing he can't do. I am hoping bringing our little secret to the nation, we will see some changes come our way.

They just passed a law for mandatory daily PE for elementary schools in FL. Right now we have 30 minutes a week. Not sure how we will do it every day. It will be the regular teachers doing it because our district is not hiring extra PE teachers. Also we had been told to give 15 minutes of daily recess maximum (in previous years) so that we aren't wasting time better spent on prpeparing for our all-important standardized testing. In fact, if it was our day for PE we weren't supposed to give recess because we'd already given the kids enuogh activity for the day.

And yes, our school lunches are disgusting. Chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, corn dogs, pizza, fried beef patties. The fruit is optional and usually looks very unappetizing in the way it is presented. They do have a small salad bar out on most days. I make my own kids bring their own lunch. Not to mention we are having a rat problem in our school.

Okay I don't understand the idea behind this. It's totally backwards! The high school I went to had mandatory PE every other day for the same amt of time as our other classes. The students didn't suffer or lack preparation for the all-important standardized tests. For the most part, we did very well as a school (I remember them telling us that we were one of the top schools in the country for our testing results). I think that by not having these kids exercising more than once a week, they're doing a DISSERVICE to them. Exercise increases one's heartrate, which sends more oxygen-rich blood to the brain, helping to increase cognitive function, boosting memory formation and improving mental sharpness/reaction times. "What's good for the heart is good for the brain" they say. Not to mention the possibilty for reducing depression and anxiety (which are common among kids nowadays, especially those who are overweight and at the mercy of bullies) and even maybe an increase in self-confidence! Studies have shown that exercise is more beneficial in adults than in children (probably because kids are always on the go chasing each other anyway) but obviously there is a lack of exercise and a severe need for it these days with so many children at risk with their health. Even for those who don't fall in the "at-risk" category, exercise when young will promote a continual pattern when they're older. If you haven't done something for 20 years, what makes you think you'll start doing it when life hits you and you're swamped with school, work, kids, marriage, and other responsibilities?

What classes do the kids at your school district take? I hope this mandatory law they've passed shows them how important mandatory PE is and that they increase the amount to more than once a week. The kids will benefit from it so much they'll wonder why they didn't do it earlier! (And the teachers will probably have an easier time with the kids if they've had time to burn off energy now and then.)

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I am not sure how the new law is going to be implemented because it begins when we go back in August. It states children need 30 minutes of PE daily. This is for elementary school - I can't speak for middle and high schools. I agree completely with what you are saying.

I have records (which the kids get a kick out of-they've never seen them before) that have movement type songs and I try to always include that in the day. However I got disciplined this past school year when our new Assistant principal walked in as my class was doing some stretching after a full hour of test prep. They are 6-7 years old so I didn't think a 15 minute stretch was out of the ordinary after sitting for 1+ hours. In fact, I was teaching them the names of the muscles we were stretching as we did it, so I was really surprised that he called me on it. It turns out he wanted me to have them "working academically at all times." Since we were not officially learning about the body at that time, teaching them the names of the muscles didn't count. I told him I was using it as a teachable moment , which didn't amuse him.

As for what classes our school is working on, we have 2 1/2 hours Reading, 45 minutes writing, 1 hour math, 30 minutes Special (Pe, Art, Music, Library, Computer), 30 minutes lunch, squeeze in about 20 minutes of science/social studies, and 15 minutes recess. I'm not sure what every school does though. We are a huge disctrict encompassing several cities, so some schools may vary things a bit. I believe we are the 6th largest district in the nation.