Schools must fight obesity, Schwarzenegger says

Schools must fight obesity, Schwarzenegger says:

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger weighed in Wednesday on California's pricey battle with obesity, calling for the elimination of sugary 'sports drinks' in schools and more vigorous physical activity during and after school."



Alongside former President Bill Clinton, who underwent heart surgery to open a clogged artery this month, Schwarzenegger discussed solutions to the obesity crisis at a summit of leaders in the public and private sectors of health care in Los Angeles.
"I'm very proud that the state of California is the first state that has banned soda from vending machines in public schools," said Schwarzenegger, a former champion bodybuilder. "Now we're going to get rid of these sports drinks that are full of sugar and make our kids overweight."
In a spate of bills introduced Wednesday, the former champion bodybuilder said California will focus on child obesity by reducing access to sugar while increasing physical activity.
One bill would require an increase in moderate to vigorous activity in physical education classes and after-school programs, while another bill calls for improved access to fresh drinking water while banning sugary "sports drinks" from California public schools.
School districts in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley have already banned electrolyte replacement drinks from their middle and high schools.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/24/BA5Q1C6JEI.DTL#ixzz0gYifHDUF