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Grants Help North Thurston Students (and Staff) Get Moving

Originally published June 13, 2019 by ThurstonTalk.com.

By Heidi Smith

Healthy kids have better grades and higher graduation rates. We know there is a strong connection between education and health – a good education often leads to better jobs, higher income earnings and better access to resources that reinforce health over one’s lifetime. When schools inspire and help students, staff, and teachers to be at their physical, mental, and emotional best, learning thrives.

Kaiser Permanente is embracing this challenge head on through their Thriving Schools program. “Thriving Schools is our all-in engagement to improve health for students, staff and teachers,” says Kaiser Permanente Program Manager Jill Patnode. Read More

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Researchers find physical activity in preschool years can affect future heart health

Originally published June 11, 2019 in MedicalXpress.com

Physical activity in early childhood may have an impact on cardiovascular health later in life, according to new research from McMaster University, where scientists followed the activity levels of hundreds of preschoolers over a period of years.

They found that physical activity in children as young as three years old benefits blood vessel health, cardiovascular fitness and is key to the prevention of early risk indicators that can lead to adult heart disease. Read More

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Physical inactivity proved risky for children and pre-teens

Originally published June 4, 2019 in Science Daily.

Cardio-respiratory capacity in children has dropped by 25% in 20 years, according to a study by the University of Adelaide in Australia.

There are multiple reasons for this, from the social environment and the decreasing number of play areas to a more academic approach towards teaching physical education and the spread of new technologies. But at what age do children lose the desire to exercise?

Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, followed 1,200 Geneva pupils, aged 8 to 12, for two years. The team found out that from the age of 9, the positive reasons for exercising — it’s fun and good for your health — begin to be replaced by more displaced incentives: to get a good mark or improve your image with others. These results, which are published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise, call for a more detailed analysis of how PE is taught in schools to counter physical inactivity leading to a sedentary lifestyle from an early age. Read More

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Imlay City Middle School hosts ‘Iron Man/Iron Maiden’ fitness contest

Originally published June 9, 2019 in The County Press.

By Nicholas Pugliese

Imlay City Middle School physical education teacher Greg Prendergast heard four years ago about the positive effects the “Iron Man/Iron Maiden” contest had for students at Bellville Schools and knew Imlay City kids had what it takes.

Imlay City Middle School’s version of the event featured six individual fitness tests — leg lifts, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, shuttle run and sprint, each scored to top four for male and female students. “In health class we discuss the F.I.T.T. Model — the acronym stands to frequency, intensity, time and type,” said Prendergast. “The benefits are truly up to the individual, but we saw increased confidence and team comradery that came as a result of the Iron Man/Iron Maiden program.” Read More

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Summer is Ideal Time to Build New ESSA Title IV, Part A Proposals

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) continues to be a reliable source of funding for teachers and administrators adding IHT heart rate technology to their physical education programs.

In the 2018-19 school year, the U.S. Department of Education made $1.1 billion available to local schools as part of ESSA Title IV, Part A, which supports programs that provide safe and healthy schools, well-rounded education and demonstrate the effective use of technology. For the coming year, the Title IV, Part A budget increases to $1.17 billion to be divided among the states. Read More