The nitty gritty....

Hi ladies,
It's time to dig our teeth into the nitty gritty of health and physical well being. I have ordered a box of "goodies"and they are ready for the taking in Mr. Cheney's back room. Inside this box you will find booklets titled "Vibrant Faces Co-Ed" as well as a small purse of feminine hygiene products. We are going to use the booklets as a guide for future posts as we wrap up the year. Topics will include physical activity, nutrition, emotional health and physical health and hygiene. We are going to start with the physical activity section of the booklet; and, because we've covered some such topics, I'm going to ask you to push through and read the entire section- it's 10 very small pages with some optional activities (you don't have to do the crossword!). Let's meet up here again in a week, once you've all had a chance to get the booklets and your samples. We'll talk about anything new you learned about physical activity and any questions you might have. So tomorrow don't forget to bug Mr. Cheney for your "goodies"... and I'll see you all here in a week!

Mrs. Jack

Exercise- working up a sweat!

Hi ladies,

I must say how impressed I am by the amount of girls participating on the Volleyball team. You girls look strong and are developing great skills for the game.

There is a reason we try to get you involved in sports through Phys. Ed and school teams- being active is VERY important to your health. Working up a sweat gets your heart pumping which keeps your heart in good condition. Our bodies crave exercise, they are built to move. Regular exercise can help prevent diseases such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Finally, when you exercise you strengthen your muscles, bones, and ligaments- keeping you strong and able to engage in and enjoy your daily activities.

With all these reasons, is there any reason not to exercise? How do you feel about exercise, do you feel like you get enough? Do you want more? If you don't like it, why? I know it's not for everyone but I have lots of ideas for people of all different ability levels so let's talk...exercise!!

Time to track it ladies!!

Wow, ladies (and Mr. Cheney) thank you for all the comments. I am sorry I've been out of the loop for a while- busy times. It seems all of you definitely have food to eat and you do eat, that's great. I conclude, however, that your timing is off and you need to train your bodies to take food in regularly. Right now, you are young and your bodies can take the beating. As you get older (and your moms will tell you), it's important to use food as fuel and regularly fill your tank. When people don't eat regularly (when they are older), they tend to eat lots all at once which can make a person feel very uncomfortable and can lead to unwanted weight gain (not something you need to worry about right now, just an info bit to remember for later!). The other issue is that without regular food during the day you are not giving your brain and muscles the fuel they need to run at full steam (please excuse my car and train analogies, but hopefully you catch my drift!). My hope is that you can develop good habits NOW so later you will know how to keep yourself well fed and well fuelled.

So here's this week's challenge, keep track of what you ACTUALLY eat and how it makes you feel. This activity will teach you about yourself and will highlight what changes you might want to make. I remember doing this in grade 6 and to this day I can remember being shocked at how many times I had pizza in a week. Pizza is delicious but when you see you've eaten it for lunch 4 times and dinner 3 times in one week .... woa. Give this a shot over the next few days, maybe even over the holidays. See what you find out about yourself and what you are fuelling yourself with!!

http://www.womenshealth.gov/bodyworks/current-trainers/bodyworks-toolkit/journal.teen.pdf

Grrrrowwwlll.....

The lunch bell rings, your stomach growls and you head outside for recess. Your tasty lunch is all packed and ready to be eaten BUT while you're outside with the girls (and guys) you start talking, laughing, and having fun. Your time to eat comes and goes, your stomach is empty, your tasty lunch now sits soggy in your bag. It's hard to work in class all afternoon, your energy is low and you start to develop a headache....if only you'd given yourself time to eat your lunch!! Does this sound familiar? I really hope not. Eating your lunch (a healthy one) is sooooooooo important. Your lunch gives you energy to continue learning and functioning throughout the day. When you don't eat, your stomach gets confused. Later in the day, your stomach will send a message to your brain to EAT A.S.A.P!!! Obedient as you all are, you will eat but the problem is you will be so hungry you'll grab something that probably isn't so good for you (chips, chocolate bars, candy, cookies). These quick snacks are yummy but they aren't nutritious and won't sustain you and your energy needs (they won't fill you up). You will be hungry soon after finishing and you'll be trolling the cupboards at home for something to fill the void. All of this could have been avoided if only you'd eaten your lunch!! This week's topic is nutrition. Do you feel like you fall into the category mentioned above or are you on the right track when it comes to eating healthfully? What are your secrets if you are? What is it about your lunches that you don't like? Why do some of you not bring a lunch to school at all? What do you think we should do to make sure everyone eats a healthy lunch at school?

Attached is an article...some food for thought.

Talk....

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/dieting/lunch_sheet.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle#

Catching your zzzzzzzs.....

You've probably heard it before, but did you know that girls your age should be getting up to 9 hours of sleep every night? There are many things that might be keeping you from getting to bed (and staying in bed!) for your full 9 hours. Television, texts, facebook, games, ... stress, the list is very long. If you are feeling tired and waking up every day dragging your feet out of bed then it's time to make a change. Sleep is an essential part of making ourselves feel good (and happy). Here's an article to read if you've got a minute,

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/teens-health/CC00019/NSECTIONGROUP=2

So what do you think? What's keeping you from getting your full 9 hours? Perhaps you're all sleeping really well, what's your secret?

zzzzzz.... Mrs. Jack