USA Today Article: Athletes make pitch for fitness funding.

[NateR]

From today's USA Today (5 March 2009) - in the Sports section, last page:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition...e05_st.art.htm

Athletes make pitch for fitness funding

Should soccer cleats and baseball gloves be tax deductible? More than a dozen current and former athletes made that pitch to members of Congress on Wednesday in Washington, pressing for passage of legislation they say would help stem obesity in the USA.

The athletes, from nine-time Ultimate Fighting champion Matt Hughes to former NFL star Herschel Walker, lobbied lawmakers as part of a Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association initiative. In addition to the tax legislation, they pushed for more funding of a federal grant program for physical education classes and after-school programs in schools.

"I'm here as a professional athlete, and the biggest reason I'm here is I'm the father of three kids," said Hughes, 35, who decried the country's sedentary habits, saying, "Our lifestyle is just terrible."

Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., plans to introduce legislation that would make exercise expenses — from sporting goods to gym memberships — tax deductible as medical expenses.

"Regular physical activity remains the best preventive medicine we can prescribe," said Kind, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

yeah, we're a bunch of fat bodies. our food is so good and our entertainment is even better. that's a bad combo if we're to be eating more sensibly and staying active.

[Bonnie]

Interesting. Today on our local news they showed a state rep who's trying to pass a bill requiring all restaurants and fast food places to go to all "non Trans fat" in their menus.

They showed one small food business owner who made the decision to do this ten years ago before anything was being talked about or done in the food industry.

I hope that what Matt and the others are trying to do as well as the lady I mentioned above bears fruit. They say people are living longer because of all the advances in medicine and these "wonder" drugs.

I don't know about anybody else, but if I'm going to be here in my 80's and 90's, I want to have quality of life and not just be "existing" waiting for my time to come. We have to care about ourselves as individuals and as a society. IMHO

[TexasRN]

My kids have 2 PE classes a week in school, that's it. My son does not get recess anymore and he's only in intermediate school. It's the main reason I signed them up for TKD 2 years ago. My daughter was having bad asthma attacks and the meds she was on caused weight gain. Now I can happily say they are on target to get their black belts in October, my little girl's asthma is very well controlled with much less medication, and both are at a very healthy weight. They both go to TKD 4-5 days a week.

It is unbelievable the amount of diabetes and obesity I see in kids and teens nowadays. We've got to get our kids more active. As a nation. Because it is obvious that what we're doing now isn't working and our health care system cannot afford the amount this is going to cost us.


~Amy

I don't know about equipment and stuff, but i know up here in canada, kids enrollment fees are tax deductable ... so my kids baseball and swimming lesson i claim for in my tax return .... i also think the equipment is covered, but i am not sure

Originally Posted by rearnakedchoke

I don't know about equipment and stuff, but i know up here in canada, kids enrollment fees are tax deductable ... so my kids baseball and swimming lesson i claim for in my tax return .... i also think the equipment is covered, but i am not sure

well maybe some equipment,,but not all,dont get me started,

[Spiritwalker]

See..getting kids on long term meds.. is much better for drug manufacturers than having your kids get out and run and play and be active.. scuff their knees, breath deep and stuff..


run, sweat, build stamina, self confidence, learn to fail and try again.. make friends.. get into a fight and then be buddies.. be exposed to other things than the freakin' Nintendo DS and Spongebob...

Making classes and equipment, tax deductible is a GREAT idea. But at the same time, where do you draw the line? Does martial arts get covered? What about less known arts... Can I claim my Gis? My mat shoes? Maybe my belts?

I really like the idea, but there will be lots of grey area to cover...

Originally Posted by TexasRN

It is unbelievable the amount of diabetes and obesity I see in kids and teens nowadays. We've got to get our kids more active. As a nation. Because it is obvious that what we're doing now isn't working and our health care system cannot afford the amount this is going to cost us.


~Amy

[TexasRN]

Originally Posted by Spiritwalker

See..getting kids on long term meds.. is much better for drug manufacturers than having your kids get out and run and play and be active.. scuff their knees, breath deep and stuff..


run, sweat, build stamina, self confidence, learn to fail and try again.. make friends.. get into a fight and then be buddies.. be exposed to other things than the freakin' Nintendo DS and Spongebob...

Exactly. And I swear that one of the biggest reasons we were able to wean her off of 3 of the meds is that we got her so active in TKD. She only uses her rescue inhaler now and hasn't needed that in almost 4 months. Her instructor and I worked with her on breaathing techniques when she'd get "tight" during class and luckily that was all she needed sometimes. Other times we'd have to use the inhaler but like I said, she almost never needs it anymore.


~Amy

[Spiritwalker]

Originally Posted by TexasRN

Exactly. And I swear that one of the biggest reasons we were able to wean her off of 3 of the meds is that we got her so active in TKD. She only uses her rescue inhaler now and hasn't needed that in almost 4 months. Her instructor and I worked with her on breaathing techniques when she'd get "tight" during class and luckily that was all she needed sometimes. Other times we'd have to use the inhaler but like I said, she almost never needs it anymore.


~Amy

Good deal!! Good instructor!

[TexasRN]

Originally Posted by Spiritwalker

Good deal!! Good instructor!

Their instructor rocks. They all go to a lot of seminars and training on dealing with kids and teaching all levels. I can't say enough about them. They are everything that any martial arts school wishes to be. They aren't perfect but as close to it as a school that size can get.


~Amy