When Schools Fall Short

If your school is not offering the recommended minutes, or if the subject is taught by a classroom teacher who has not jogged since gas cost 50 cents a gallon, it is unlikely your child is getting the 30 minutes of movement at least 5 days a week that the state mandates students need. Here's what you can do to pick up the slack.

• Get involved - talk to your child's PE teacher and/or school principal aboutthe program; stop and observe the class. Inquire with whtat is happenting in After-school programs. Ask: "How often is PE taught?" "How much of the class is spent being active?" and "Who's playing, and what are they doing?"
• Get active - Studies suggest that families that play together stay fit together. Include play time like riding bikes or going to the gym together, add these into the family mix and just have fun.
• Get outside - Turn off the television and the computer, and send the kids outside. Join and encourage them to develop a healthy lifestyle.

Focus on fit for the whole family and get physical :>

Kids at Risk: The Price of Inactivity

A sedentary lifestyle puts children at risk for a slew of illnesses. Health risks of inactivity include:

• Obesity
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• High Cholesterol
• Low Self-esteem

What has to be done to address the problem? Why is quality, daily Physical Education so important? And tell me again why PE is not included as a "core" in any school environment?

Makes you wonder, huh?

A Quality Program

A quality PE program should provide:

• 200 minutes of moderate to vigorous phusical education every 10 days for Grades 1 thru 6
• 400 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical education every 10 days for Grades 7 thru12
• qualified physical education specialists
• adequate facilities and equipment to accommodated each child
• a variety of physical activities
• maximum opportunities to be physically active
• ways to assess motor skills and fitness based on individual goals
• homework activities
• a positive, supportive and cooperative learning environment.

Adapted from the NASPE brochure, "Aim for Balance."

Are your students experiencing PE?

Did you Know...?

What do you think?

• A typical child ses about 40,000 television advertisements a year.
• Many of the food products advertised are "low nutrient, calorie dense foods"
• Studies have shown that kids respond to the onslaught of junk food ads by eating more frequently and larger quantities.

Junk Food Challenge - finish the advertising quote.

• "yo quiero________________ "
• Who says, "We love to see you smile?"
• Who says, "If it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face?"
• Who says, "Think outside the bun?"
• Who says, "They're Grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat?"
• "Leggo my _______ "
• "Silly Rabbit ________ are for kids!"
• Who says, "I'm lovin' it?"
• Who says, "Where's the beef?"

How do we know this? Advertising. The food industry spends $10,000,000,000 annualy compared to $2,000,000 spent on the 5-a-day Campaign.

Go figure...

Hints to Keepin' Active

Finding ways to keep active throughout the work day is always a challenge. Actually getting the heart pounding because of activity is another. Here are some ways of doing just that so that those moments of not feeling "all that" begins to be all that!

1. keep a pair of running or walking shoes nearby for those quick escapes.
2. don't listen to co-workers that ridicule you for doing activity breaks... remember you're the only one who has to fit into your "skinny" jeans.
3. Try something new for a change of pace - turn the music on and dance.
4. Doing activity for 10, 15, or even 20 minutes is better that no minutes.
5. Entice others to follow your lead or have a walking meeting - it will lead to a better worksite.
6. About those rich sinfully tantalizing treats... everything in moderation.

I challenge you to think about this as an opportunity to "manage" the food and craziness. Be good to yourself and begin this moment with some movement.

just jump :>

Thoughts on PE getting squeezed out

Hey everyone,

your thoughts please...

Many of us hated PE (not me, of course), but at least we had it. Now physical ed classes and recess is getting squeezed from shcool schedules, and students have the price of inactivity to prove it. The only way schools can do something significantly different from what they are doing now is if parents and districts invest dollars and get more physical activity into the school day. If we value our kid's health we will have to just do it.

thanks :>