Frist act to give helpful prod to couch potatoes

U.S. Sen. Bill Frist wants our kids to get off the couch.

Before you criticize him for meddling, listen to his reasons. Frist, a former heart surgeon, is especially well acquainted with the health risks associated with obesity and inactivity. He knows that since 1970, decades, the number of obese children has doubled and the number of obese adolescents has tripled.

It's not baby fat, folks. It's a disease approaching epidemic proportions, and it leads to diabetes, hypertension, heart attack and stroke. Add to that the psychological risks, and the price is far too high.

The price, in fact, is far more than the cost would be to implement the Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (IMPACT) that Sen. Frist drafted. That act calls for at least $40 million to enlarge a federal program to help schools implement physical activity and nutrition classes, and another $40 million to help states and communities build parks, bike paths and other recreational facilities to help increase physical activity.

Even though the federal legislation is just beginning its road to passage, the idea behind it came home recently when the Metro School Board banned