Activate your School

Promoting fitness within schools is being over looked and because of this, more and more teachers are out sick, their energy levels are at an all time low, and on top of it all, the students are less focused and having difficulty learning. These are all symptoms of inactivity and a change needs to be made. Making a major difference in your school with this one simple concept can be quite easy, so let’s get your students and teachers moving more! The benefits are clear for students since those who are physically active in appropriate ways are much more focused and willing to learn when it’s time to do so. You’ll see a decrease in teacher absences due to illness when they become more fit, and you’ll also see their ability to handle stress improve as physical activity provides great relief. Promoting fitness within your school is the key to having more effective teachers and students. The healthier people are, the more likely they are to utilize their energy properly and perform their jobs or learn at an optimal level.

Activate Students
• Allow more time before, during, and after school for physical activity.
• Host the “Morning Mile Program” at your school. This allows students start each day in a healthy/active way. Teachers can participate too.
• Encourage teachers to allow the children to get up and move as a part of regular educational lessons—Integrating physical activity into what is being taught is a great way for kids to be more receptive to the lesson. Download the Energizers active learning curriculum by visiting the BeActiveNC.org web site now.
• Host more field days.
• Schedule field trips that include physical activity.
• Provide fun fitness tools such as hoola hoops, jump ropes and balls to be used during recess.
• Ensure each student at your school has the opportunity to engage in at least 30 minuets of physical activity each day.

Activate Teachers
• Encourage active lunch breaks (take a walk, stretch, or practice yoga).
• Promote a run/walk club before/after school.
• Post information in the break room about local 5k’s or physical activities
• Host a weekly group fitness class (check with local fitness centers to see if they would be willing to send a trainer).
• Bring a guest lecturer once a month, solicit the help of fitness professionals, doctors, and nutritionists—they are a great resource of health education.

Proof
Schools across the nation have begun taking on this initiative and the benefits are non-stop. Students at Mitchell Elementary School in Charleston, S.C., don't just write their multiplication tables. They jump them. Innovations like this are part of the burgeoning movement to promote more action-based learning. For more information: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101149470

In Larwill, Ind., 22 teachers and staff members at Whitko Middle School decided to lose weight in January 2007. For five months, the colleagues weighed in weekly, tracked their losses and received prizes for their success. Many exercised together, walking around the inside perimeter of school after the students had left for the day. They shared diet tips and recipes and even had a clothing swap to giveaway clothes that no longer fit. Their results were impressive: Altogether they lost more than 300 pounds from January until June of last year. One person dropped 40 pounds. Two lost 25 pounds, and others lost 10 to 20. For more information: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2008-03-30-dieters-whitko_N.htm

Photo credit: EddieL on Flickr.com