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Publication: Metro Parent Magazine
Original details: Family Practice Obesity update, May 2006 edition, pages 18-19

OBESITY UPDATE
Shaping up with physical activity.
You can tell kids to eat their veggies and exercise daily, but don’t be shocked by the disheartened groan. Staying active isn’t always easy, but it’s critical to combating the obesity epidemic.And it can set kids abuzz, as Dr. Paul Ehrmann quickly learned.
Last year, Ehrmann launched the five-week Children’s Health Initiative Program, or CHIP. Today, it’s taught 60 third, fourth and fifth graders the positive benefits of a healthy lifestyle – and got them geared up about relay races and football-style “tire runs.” “Diet is a work word and exercise is a work word,” says Ehrmann, an osteopathic physician in Royal Oak. “That’s continually came into our thought process. If you
don’t make it fun, it isn’t going to happen, especially with the kids.” In five weeks, CHIP focuses on healthy meal planning with a dietician, keeping fit with a personal trainer, revving up with a motivational speaker and more. Schools in Royal Oak and Southfield have graduated from the program. Parents get involved, too. Ehrmann hopes the free program increases community support – and supplements physical education programs at schools, many of which have faced cuts.
“I really believe the way to attack this problem is through the schools,” he says. “We can reach more parents, kids and siblings indirectly through one child.” He joins the rallying cry of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness to raise the standard in schools. How often do Michigan kids hit the gym floor or crack open a health book? Current law says districts must offer physical education, but there’s no time rule, says Marilyn Lieber, the council’s president and CEO. “You could offer one minute of physical education a year and basically be in compliance,” she says. But, “It’s a changing world right now in Michigan.”

At least there’s hope on the horizon. Several bills propose base limits. One requires 1 hour per week for kindergarten through fifth grade, then jumping to 45 minutes daily through senior year. The plan turns a year old in June. Still, the attention’s growing, Lieber says. During this National Fitness Month, May 3 marks Michigan’s seventh time participating in the All Children Exercising Simultaneously (ACES) program. At 10 a.m., kids worldwide stop what they’re doing for 15 minutes to jump, run or skip. High school athletes have organized activities for younger kids, or local radio stations play danceable tunes. This year, some 500,000 kids are expected to participate statewide. The goal is to get families to work toward a five-mile walk this summer. But it takes a strong school program to give kids knowledge, competence and skills. The council offers its Exemplary Physical Education Curriculum, which helps schools strengthen their physical education programs. Focus includes aerobics, motor skills and activities like hopping, skipping and jumping to keep kids fit. Seventy percent of the state’s elementary schools have bought into the program, according to the council. Another bill would have kids get body mass index checks at school; reports made to parents could help parents take action to improve their children’s lifestyles. Long term, it could very well make a difference in curbing medical costs, too. “We can pay now by investing in physical education, in our skills, or we can pay all health care costs later,” Lieber says. “For me, it’s a no-brainer.”
– Kim Kovelle

CHIP Off the Weight
The Children’s Health Initiative Program helps parents and kids of all sizes weave healthy routines into their daily lives. Founder Dr. Paul Ehrmann of Royal Oak hopes his zero-cost concept expands as physicians, superintendents and businesses team up. Learn more at www.chipkids.com or via the Oakland County Medical Society at 248-646-4700.