Yoga, marching band may be the future of weight loss for adolescents.
First Lady Michelle Obama has drawn national attention to the issue of childhood obesity. However, if parents find it difficult to encourage their children to exercise as part of a weight loss plan, they may find it helpful to explore more unconventional options.
In Astoria, Oregon, some high schools offer marching band as an elective under both physical education and fine arts. This brand of performance art can be physically demanding, as it involves carrying heavy instruments and some aerobics. In fact, students who aspire to join elite marching bands need to take Oregon yoga classes or similar courses in order to improve balance and coordination, as reported in The Daily Astorian.
"I could definitely tell that my posture got a lot better and the strength in my calves and upper arms increased," Mackenzie Rascoe, one of the Astoria Marching Band's first drum majors, told the news source. "My long-distance vision improved, along with my ability to walk in a straight line! My back got stronger, too."
As of 2007, more than 1.5 million American children practiced yoga within the previous year, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Research has suggested that these exercises can help improve overall physical fitness.
