According to the results of what is being called the largest test of its kind, kids in Texas aren't doing so well in the whole fitness and health area. More than two and a half million students were tested and the study found that the majority of kids were out of shape. Two-thirds of the third graders were failed to reach healthy performance levels in the six areas that were tested, including strength, stamina, and body composition. Nine out of ten twelfth graders failed to measure up.

"Our children's health is in jeopardy," worries state Senator Jane Nelson. "We cannot allow an entire generation of Texans to grow up and live a shorter life than previous generations." More than four-fifths of all Texas third- through twelfth-graders were tested this year, with results getting progressively worse as the students got older.

One mom tried to put the blame on the schools, saying "You have our children nine hours a day, and you have them during peak hours. When exactly am I supposed to give my kid a workout? At 9pm?" I guess schools go longer in Texas than they do here, and prepare all the kids' meals as well. Good thing kids never sit around and play video games at home!

Sadly, I suspect this problem is not limited to Texas -- I think we all have to keep an eye on our kids' -- and our own -- lifestyles. As jobs and pastimes become less physical and more sedentary, it seems to me that we need to make more of an effort to get out from behind the computer screens and out on the hiking and biking trails.