Did you know that it was National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month? It's sad we have a national day observing this issue.

Studies show obese children are often destined to become obese adults. The causes of childhood obesity are so obvious to me plentiful food high in calories, fat and sugar and a lack of physical activity. Cutting short or cutting out the physical education in elementary school and focusing on academic achievement and test scores was the beginning. Test scores were more important than health scores.

The other fact I can't help but notice is the adult obesity epidemic. How can the kids succeed without adults setting the healthy, active, example? Among U.S. adults, ages 20-74 years, the percentage of people considered overweight is 35 percent of the population.

And it gets really sobering when we look at obesity rates for other countries. This is one race to the top that I really don't think we want to win! Not only do we rank high in the percentage of people who are overweight, but look at what we are spending on health care compared to other nations. Many of our health woes, can be blamed on our own poor diets and lack of exercise.

The statistics when you look at them are not pretty.

The present political debate is filled with speeches about our over-burdened healthcare system. It's no wonder. Think about how different things were 20 years ago when kids were outside playing sports and burning calories instead of sitting inside playing video games on the computer. Including school, kids can go an entire day without being physically active.

"You can't take away computers because they have become an integral part of their lifestyle," said Dr. Robert Keith, a nutritionist. "Kids are going to play video games and watch all of these TV programs despite all of our best efforts."

Dr. Keith says part of the solution is to re-introducing mandatory physical activities in the public schools.

And, he said, parents need to encourage their kids to be active and take part in physical activities with them. Guess what? When parents get up off the couch themselves they are less likely to become part of the obesity crisis gripping our nation.

Recently I attended an assembly in a neighborhood elementary school and I arrived early to get a good seat to see my granddaughter get an award. While waiting I noticed that most adults were looking down at a device in their hands and concentrating on the screen of their phone or mini computers, with their thumbs moving like mad. No one was talking with their companion or neighbor next them. Enough said.

I know we can't trash all the technology we have in our life it's fun, we all love it and I wouldn't live without it. But we need to get our priorities straight and make sure we have a balance of physical activity and good nutrition so that we don't become a statistic on the charts. So get out and get active.