Exercise Shorts

Fitness news from around the globe

* Children who enjoy physical education class are more likely to have physically active lives outside the school environment than those who don't look forward to gym class, according to a report in a recent issue of Health Psychology. Additionally, children are more likely to exercise if their free time in the afternoon is spent outdoors or playing sports, and if their family encourages physical activity.

* A recent survey showed that Americans' understanding of important health and fitness issues is extremely low, which may be putting them at increased risk for health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. A significant percentage of Americans believe that the key to good health and fitness is to manage body weight and appearance, according to the Second Annual American Body Fat Perception Poll commissioned by Tanita Corp. Nearly half of the respondents said that maintaining a healthy body weight has greater impact on health than maintaining a healthy level of body fat. Also, 52 percent of those polled said they don't worry about their body fat as long as they don't appear fat.