National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month in Long Grove
Yesterday, Barack Obama issued a presidential proclamation recognizing September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and Long Grove families should look toward taekwondo as outlet to participate in this initiative. “While most Long Grove children are not obese, we are in danger of the scales tipping the other way,” stated Luciano Medina, President of the Illinois Taekwondo State Association.
When asked about why this initiative was important to the ITSA, Medina referenced the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IADP), which reported that childhood obesity has tripled since the 1980s. Long Grove residents should take note that according to the IAPD website, more than 25 percent of Illinois youth from ages 12-16 and 18 percent of youth from ages 6-10 are overweight.
“We are at an important junction in Illinois and if we do not start recognizing this now, the next generation of Long Grove youth could follow the same trend that is happening throughout state,” Medina indicated. “As adults, parents, and taekwondo school owners, we feel that we have a responsibility to the Long Grove community to raise awareness about this issue and help stop the trend that is occurring.”
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children and adolescents should do at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. The preferred method that Long Grove parents should adopt for their kids, according to the CDC, consists of three types of exercise Aerobic, Muscle Strengthening, and Bone Strengthening.
“This is fantastic advice for Long Grove residents,” said Bruce Harris, CEO of USA Taekwondo, which is the non-profit governing body for the sport of taekwondo to the US Olympic Committee. “Taekwondo is an excellent way to help youth meet these recommendations and I'm pleased to see the ISTA taking a stand. With taekwondo, not only can Long Grove kids meet and exceed the recommended standards, but they could eventually end up competing in the Olympics too.”