For the first time in American history, today's generation of children could live shorter lives than their parents. The cause is obesity.

It's Pam Woodruff's ninth year of teaching physical education at Pelican Elementary School, and she's proud to be a part of carrying on a school tradition as co-leader of their precision jump rope team.

"This precision jump rope team has been in existence for 20 years. We're a demonstration team for the American Heart Association. And our job is to go around to promote the jump rope for heart program at various schools and to promote health and fitness among the community."

Pediatrician Eric Jones says their message is an important one. "We're seeing a lot more overweight and obese children with a lot more health problems. We try to get them to exercise more."

Woodruff says, "I've seen a decline in fitness levels. Children's weight is going up and yes, seeing a huge problem with obesity. And that goes on with the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation that have partnered up to do a lot of great things for kids across the nation."

Their partnership is called the alliance for a healthier generation. It was formed in May of 2005 to address issues that contribute to childhood obesity and to inspire young Americans to develop lifelong healthy habits.

Brittany Fowler a 10-year-old member of the precision jump rope team explains, "If you don't get enough exercise it can do a lot to you, and when you get older it can affect you. So, I think its really good exercise when you're this young."

And good thing you guys are young - with moves like that. And it's great to see that you're all using your talents to inspire others to get active & healthy.

To learn more on how you can empower your children to make better choices for their health and quality of life in the future, you can visit the Alliance online at www.healthiergeneration.org.