(March 26, 2004) — In the past few decades Americans have gotten accustomed to having things “fast, cheap and easy”–including the food they consume on a daily basis. This, though it may seem practical, has resulted in a nation of obese and physically unhealthy people. Unfortunately, teens have also fallen victim to this tragedy. As the excess amounts of “empty” calories they consume over the years turn into fat, many teens find themselves physically unhealthy and looking for ways to lose weight. The fact that students are increasingly becoming unfit was demonstrated in last year’s “Fitnessgram,” a test of six fitness skills which 296 of Clark’s freshmen participated in. Though students had to pass them all in order to be considered fit, results indicated that less than half of them passed. Physical education classes at schools are intended to help students get in the habit of exercising and developing their skills in the areas that the freshmen were tested in. However, according to PE teacher Judith Thomsen, such programs cannot be effective unless students take the initiative to exercise on their own time as well. With further development of technology such as television and computers, teens are spending more and more of their time indoors, rather than participating in strenuous activities. A survey of 100 students at Clark showed that 50% of the students are involved in after- school activities. “I go to the gym every chance I get,” said senior Alfred Abramian. “When I finished sophomore year and realized that no one was going to make me exercise anymore, I knew it was up me to do something about my physical health.” Abramian said that he and his friends also go to the park on weekends where they play football and soccer. Results in females surveyed were slightly different. Although more than half admitted that they are very concerned about their physical health, only a handful said that they go to a gym or play a sport. “I dance in my bedroom sometimes,” said sophomore Azniv Danielyan, “but that’s about the extent of my exercising.” Over 90% of females said that they have tried crash dieting to lose weight. However, many studies show that crash diets rarely produce the desired outcome. “Diets don’t work if not done properly,” said Glendale family physician Hrach Kuhndatyan. “People get impatient and want to lose all the weight in a week.” According to Kuhndatyan, impatience can be “deadly” at times because it can cause teens to develop eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. “In fact, over 76% of girls from ages 11 to 20 have such problems,” he said.