There's No Replacement for Good, Ol' Fashioned Exercise

Although we live in the age of Wii Fit, the long and short of the matter is there is no replacement for good, ol' fashioned exercise.

According to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and UC Berkeley, physical education plays a key role in curbing obesity and improving fitness among adolescents from low-income communities. An article on the study in "Science Daily" quotes Kristine Madsen, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of pediatrics at UCSF Children's Hospital, as stating, "Obesity continues to be a major public health concern, particularly in low-income communities, so it is imperative that we develop targeted interventions to improve the health of at-risk youth." The study unsurprisingly goes on to find that regular participation in PE class is significantly associated with greater cardiovascular fitness and lower body mass index.