We have ample chances to reduce our ample waists

Public schools are called upon to perform all sorts of duties for which they were never intended, becoming lightning rods for blame and expectations.

But a new report from the Trust for America's Health advocacy group shows that the McCook Public Schools new wellness policy is right on target to make a difference where it is needed.

Nebraska has an adult obesity rate of 24.4 percent, ranking it 20th heaviest in the nation and, if "overweight" adults are added to the mix, the state grows to 14th in the nation.

Look around. If there are 10 people in the room, six of them are overweight. We know who we are.

Nebraska also ranks 31st in the nation for adult diabetes levels, at 6.7 percent, and 42 for rates of hypertension, with 23.6 percent.

Thirty-one states saw obesity rates increase last year, every state in the nation exceeding the government's national goal to reduce obesity rates to 15 percent by the year 2010.

No state lost weight, ranging from Mississippi with an adult obesity rate of 29.5 percent, to those svelte Coloradoans, weighing in at "only" 16.9 percent obese.

Yes, parents shouldn't depend on the schools to make sure their children get enough exercise and eat the right foods. But McCook's new wellness policy is positioned to do a lot of good, or at least reverse the lax policies of the past.

The new policy keeps pop out of the classroom, discourages consumption of foods and beverages with "minimal nutritional value," limits use of vending machines and improves the quality of foods that are available when the machines are turned on.

Clubs are being encouraged to sell healthier foods for fund-raisers, and healthy food will be encouraged for classroom celebrations.

Students and staff will also be encouraged to walk and bike to school, and exercise is more likely to be incorporated into daily activities.

Of course, fitness efforts shouldn't be confined to the schools. It's good to see McCook's walking trail project making progress, and we should do what we can to see it completed on schedule or before.

And, the disc-golf course under construction promises new opportunities for exercise.

Then there are the new tennis courts, which will be open to the public when they're not in use by school teams.

Add those to McCook's top-flight golfing opportunities, the Ed Thomas YMCA, adult league sports and private health clubs, and there's no reason any of us should be out of shape.