Now that I am involved with the Y on this grant to help prevent childhood obesity I am spending a lot of time researching different websites on getting kids more fit. I was just on Michele Obama's Letsmove.gov website and here are some of her suggestions for community leaders to help kids get fit:
"Neighborhood organizations and faith-based groups are well positioned to initiate and coordinate activities to encourage healthy living and well being. Trusted leaders in communities and congregations can empower families and communities to make better choices to improve the health of our nation’s children."
Help Parents Make Healthy Choices
Parents and community members can model healthy decisions about physical activity and nutrition. But in today’s busy world, healthy choices aren’t always easy. Parents and caregivers need a community of support. Here are some ways faith-based and community organizations can provide that support.
Make Community Meals Healthier: At community or congregational meals or potlucks, provide healthy selections, like fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. People may unknowingly eat larger amounts when presented with larger portions. Reduce portion sizes by eliminating buffet-style meals or simply using smaller plates.
Motivational Groups: Challenge members of your community or congregation to form a motivational group for parents and caregivers who want to learn more about healthier food shopping or improving eating habits.
Community Cookbook: Create a community or congregational cookbook that features healthy, locally grown food. Encourage all members to contribute their favorite healthy recipes or come up with a healthy twist on a classic dish.
Serve Healthy Drinks and Snacks: Switch from sugar-sweetened beverages to 100% juice in education, child care or after-school programs. Replace sugary drinks in vending machine with water, 100% fruit juice or low-fat or fat-free milk. Use the HealthierUS School Challenge Competitive Food Calculator to determine which packaged snack foods are lower in fat, sodium and added sugars.
Help Children get Physical Activity
Children need physical education, safe routes to walk and ride their bikes to school, and access to parks, playgrounds and community centers to get the 60 minutes of active play they need each day. Sports leagues, and dance and fitness programs that are exciting and challenging will keep children engaged. Community organizations can take steps to increase opportunities for kids to be physically active – in school and in their communities – and create opportunities for families to engage in physical activity together.
Ideas to Promote Physical Activity
There are many ways congregations and community organizations can help children get the daily physical activity they need. Here are some ideas to get started:
President’s Active Lifestyle Challenge: Help children take the President’s Active Lifestyle Challenge by hosting the challenge within your organization.
Support Community Sports: Support or start a community sports league, intramural sport, or physical activity club that is accessible to all community members – regardless of skill, ability, or financial resources. This is especially important in locations with few or no school-supported physical activity programs.
Safe Routes to Walk and Bike: Ensure that children have safe routes to walk and bike in your community.
Organize Active Events: Create a physical activity club in your congregation or community center. Organize a walk, dance, or bike-a-thon, 5K, field day, fun run, relay race, or come up with your own active event ideas.
Promote Recreational Facilities: Partner with local community centers and schools to promote the use of recreational facilities, gymnasiums, playing fields, and playgrounds.
Wilton already does a lot of this but it might give us some more ideas to think about.
And finally, another thought to leave you with for this week: "In the next 18 minutes that I take to do this speech, four Americans will be dead from the food that they eat." - Jamie Oliver, Ted Talk presentation Feb. 2010
Showing posts with label physical fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label physical fitness. Show all posts
Friday, July 16, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
National Physical Activity Plan and Wilton
I was reading the US National Physical Activity Plan which was released in May of this year to help prod the nation to collaborate with all sorts of partners to encourage everyone to get more active in their life. The plans overall vision is: "one day, all Americans will be physically active, and they will live, work and play in environments that facilitate regular physical activity."
The NPAP is quite extensive and involves all segments of the community to encourage everyone to get physically active (not just kids, which is more the focus of our Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant). I thought I'd share the highlights of the NPAP as I think they are useful for us to consider.
The plan is broken into sectors with general ideas for what the sectors can do.
Non-profits: Non-profit members, volunteers, & constituents advocate for policies that support physical activity choices in communities.
Education: Early childhood facilities & K-12 schools provide comprehensive physical activity programs that offer before, during, & afterschool opportunities for daily physical activity.
Schools report on accountability measures for the quality & quantity of physical education & physical activity programs.
School & community partnerships (e.g. sharing facilities) will expand physical activity choices for youth & families
Healthcare: Physical activity is a patient vital sign at healthcare visits.
Physical inactivity is a treatable/preventable condition.
Health care professionals advocate for improved physical activity choices for their schools & communities.
Public Health: A public health workforce trained to lead policy & practices that support physical activity for states & communities.
Broad partnerships between public health, transportation, recreation, education, business, media, non-profits & more work together to improve physical activity choices for communities.
Transportation and Community Planning: Active modes of travel (walking, biking, transit) & health impacts are part of all transportation & community planning at the national, state, & local level.
Employers receive financial incentives to encourage active travel for employees.
Schools are located in neighbor-hoods where youth & families can walk to school.
Parks, Recreation, Fitness & Sport: Safe, affordable, & accessible physical activity
opportunities are available to all people where they work, learn, live, play, & worship.
Professional, amateur, & college athletics programs increase physical activity opportunities for communities.
Open spaces & recreation areas are protected & maintained throughout the US.
Business & Industry: Opportunities to be physically active are part of the work place.
Employer sponsored physical activity programs are provided to all working Americans.
Media: A branded cause campaign for improved physical activity choices serves as a unifying voice for change at the national, state, & local level.
Some great ideas to consider as we implement our overall plan.
And finally, a little food for thought: "Physical activity declines substantially during adolescence: 70 percent of 12-year-olds participate in vigorous physical activity, yet only 42 percent of 21-year-old men and 30 percent of 21-year-old women do so."
The NPAP is quite extensive and involves all segments of the community to encourage everyone to get physically active (not just kids, which is more the focus of our Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant). I thought I'd share the highlights of the NPAP as I think they are useful for us to consider.
The plan is broken into sectors with general ideas for what the sectors can do.
Non-profits: Non-profit members, volunteers, & constituents advocate for policies that support physical activity choices in communities.
Education: Early childhood facilities & K-12 schools provide comprehensive physical activity programs that offer before, during, & afterschool opportunities for daily physical activity.
Schools report on accountability measures for the quality & quantity of physical education & physical activity programs.
School & community partnerships (e.g. sharing facilities) will expand physical activity choices for youth & families
Healthcare: Physical activity is a patient vital sign at healthcare visits.
Physical inactivity is a treatable/preventable condition.
Health care professionals advocate for improved physical activity choices for their schools & communities.
Public Health: A public health workforce trained to lead policy & practices that support physical activity for states & communities.
Broad partnerships between public health, transportation, recreation, education, business, media, non-profits & more work together to improve physical activity choices for communities.
Transportation and Community Planning: Active modes of travel (walking, biking, transit) & health impacts are part of all transportation & community planning at the national, state, & local level.
Employers receive financial incentives to encourage active travel for employees.
Schools are located in neighbor-hoods where youth & families can walk to school.
Parks, Recreation, Fitness & Sport: Safe, affordable, & accessible physical activity
opportunities are available to all people where they work, learn, live, play, & worship.
Professional, amateur, & college athletics programs increase physical activity opportunities for communities.
Open spaces & recreation areas are protected & maintained throughout the US.
Business & Industry: Opportunities to be physically active are part of the work place.
Employer sponsored physical activity programs are provided to all working Americans.
Media: A branded cause campaign for improved physical activity choices serves as a unifying voice for change at the national, state, & local level.
Some great ideas to consider as we implement our overall plan.
And finally, a little food for thought: "Physical activity declines substantially during adolescence: 70 percent of 12-year-olds participate in vigorous physical activity, yet only 42 percent of 21-year-old men and 30 percent of 21-year-old women do so."
Friday, May 21, 2010
May is National Bike Month
"Since 1956, May has been recognized as National Bike Month. The third week in May is designated Bike to Work Week; and the third Friday of May is Bike to Work Day."
Wouldn't it be neat to have a bike to "school" week? Or a bike to "school" day? Our kids wouldn't have to bike the whole way - maybe they are picked up at their bus stop - with their bikes - and then dropped in the center of town. Then the whole group bikes to their schools using safe routes such as the Merwin Meadows path escorted by bicycle cops!
"Over 66% of the adult US population is overweight and 32% of the US is obese. Statistics on the lack of physical activity among children are also alarming. Most children are driven to school in cars or buses, and one child out of every 4 is overweight."
Employers in the community benefit from a healthy, active workforce as well. What if we encouraged a bike to your "destination" day? Everyone would be safe because there would be more bikes on the roads that day than cars! Kids could bike to school, adults could bike to work - and we'd all be a little more productive that day because we started it right!
FYI: For a 180 pound man, a 10 mile round trip bike commute burns 400 calories. For a 130-pound woman this same commute burns 300 calories!
I suppose it's too late to plan a bike to school day for this May but I'd love to see a group come together to plan a National Bike Month program for next May. Anyone?
Wouldn't it be neat to have a bike to "school" week? Or a bike to "school" day? Our kids wouldn't have to bike the whole way - maybe they are picked up at their bus stop - with their bikes - and then dropped in the center of town. Then the whole group bikes to their schools using safe routes such as the Merwin Meadows path escorted by bicycle cops!
"Over 66% of the adult US population is overweight and 32% of the US is obese. Statistics on the lack of physical activity among children are also alarming. Most children are driven to school in cars or buses, and one child out of every 4 is overweight."
Employers in the community benefit from a healthy, active workforce as well. What if we encouraged a bike to your "destination" day? Everyone would be safe because there would be more bikes on the roads that day than cars! Kids could bike to school, adults could bike to work - and we'd all be a little more productive that day because we started it right!
FYI: For a 180 pound man, a 10 mile round trip bike commute burns 400 calories. For a 130-pound woman this same commute burns 300 calories!
I suppose it's too late to plan a bike to school day for this May but I'd love to see a group come together to plan a National Bike Month program for next May. Anyone?
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