According to the Center for Health, nearly one-third of children ages 6 to 19 are obese or at risk of becoming obese. Statistics indicate that the rate of obesity among boys and girls is similar, despite the marked increase in the number of overweight children from 1960 to 2002 (Childhood overweight, 2005). Furthermore, the prevalence of childhood obesity has nearly tripled over the past two decades, from 6.5% in 1980 to 18.8% in 2004 (Irwin et al., 2010). Morbid or extreme obesity is no longer a health problem exclusive to the adult population. More and more children, especially of school age, are becoming obese and have health problems as a result. The causes of obesity in children and adolescents are numerous and include genetic predisposition, socioeconomic status, poor eating habits and physical inactivity. Physical inactivity is a major contributor to childhood obesity. The national recommendation for children aged five years and older is at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity each day (Canadian Society for Activity Physiology, 2010). However, findings from the School Health Policies and Program Study indicate that only 3.8 percent of elementary schools offered daily physical education lessons (McKenzie et al., 2010). Although the daily physical activity recommendation is only 60 minutes per day, many primary and elementary schools do not provide the amount of physical activity needed for optimal growth and development. Budget cuts and increased emphasis on academic performance have pushed many schools to reduce physical education. Some schools have even gone so far as to eliminate physical education classes altogether (Gaus & Simpson, 2009). (2001) found that children with asthmatic conditions who participated in physical activity had better endurance and athletic performance. Increased endurance and athletic performance allowed children to exercise longer and with much greater intensity before becoming fatigued. They also found that with increased cardiovascular activity, children suffered less anxiety about their conditions and were better able to cope with associated symptoms. Another important known benefit of physical activity is improved health. In general, children are more active than adults. However, as they age, their physical activity levels begin to decline. This is a big problem because low-activity habits formed in childhood can persist into adulthood and spill over to one's children, perpetuating the cycle of obesity (Huhman et al.., 2010).