The state of Arizona, which has an obesity rate of about one-in-four, no longer requires any physical education in schools. However, Tombstone schools still provide it.

Joseph Thomas, the P.E. teacher at both Walter J. Meyer Elementary and Tombstone High, spends about 90 minutes each week with each grade at the elementary students – as opposed to high school students enrolled in the P.E. class who work out for 90 minutes each day, but only for one semester in their four years of high school.

The students aren't allowed to repeat the class.

"I think any kid who's not doing an extracurricular activity should be involved in a P.E. class yearlong," said Lyn Braswell, a counselor at Tombstone High. She said students are less in shape than ever before - an idea supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1976, about 5 percent of teenagers were obese, which means that their body mass index (BMI) was 30 or higher. By 2006, the number had risen to 17.6 percent.

Thomas was quick to point out that BMI isn't everything. "What they look like does not necessarily indicate their level of fitness," he said.

Obesity isn't the only negative trend in fitness-related health. Impaired Fasting Glucose, a form of pre-diabetes that leads to Type 2 diabetes, is on the rise as well. In 1999 about 7 percent of teenagers had an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to an article in Endocrine Today.

By 2006, the rate of at-risk adolescents had risen to more than 13 percent.
Douglas Taren, a public health professor at the University of Arizona, said he thinks fitness is important for all kids, even if they're not in danger of any serious health risks.

"There's clear evidence that academic success is related to physical fitness," he said. "We should require physical activity in schools a minimum of three days a week."

Braswell seemed to agree, asking, "If kids are unfit and sickly, are they in school as much?"

Taren also said good health can help adolescents through those tough teenage years. Exercise lessens the effects of depression while increasing self-confidence. "Moving your body just makes you feel better about yourself," he said.

One of the biggest problems, Taren said, is that schools invest all their money in small groups of students. Oftentimes athletic programs receive special treatment, but this isn't the case in Tombstone. Since the high school relocated, many sports teams have been left without proper facilities.

For example, the football team practices on a field at Tombstone High but travels to the old school for its home games. The girls' basketball team practices at the old school because the new gym doesn't have enough space for them to practice simultaneously with the boys. The track and field team travels to Fort Huachuca for practice and doesn't host any home meets.

"It's a big disadvantage," said Thomas, who coaches track and field. "We lose a lot of time. We don't have access to ice, to rehabilitation if someone gets hurt."

The current system is also costly. Thomas said the track and field team must pay between $300 and $400 to the host team for each of the nine or 10 meets they compete in each year. That's anywhere from $2,700 to $4,000 for one sports team, not including any bussing, coaching or miscellaneous costs.

About 42 percent of Tomb­stone High's 350 students are involved in some type of physical or athletic activity. Assuming all athletes receive the recommended amount of physical activity, this number is better than the national average. The CDC estimates that 65 percent of high school students don't meet the recommendation.

While some unhealthy adolescents may adjust their lifestyles with age, most don't. According to the CDC, 80 percent of children who were overweight between the ages of 10 and 15 are obese by 25.

In 2006, people who were obese paid an average of almost $1,500 more for health coverage, and the U.S. as a nation spent as much as $147 billion on direct and indirect obesity costs.

"I don't think it's laziness," said Taren, on why students are becoming less active. "Kids naturally will participate in activities that are interesting to them."