Enhancing School Fitness Programs

Motivating students to pursue a healthier lifestyle is an important forward step for all schools in the 21^st Century.  Understanding the benefits to students’ health and wellness will create strategies that will positively influence the school.

Teen obesity and inactivity has now hit epidemic proportions in Canada and North America .  Over half of Canadian children and youth aged five to 17 are not active enough for optimal growth and development. The term "active enough" is equivalent to an energy expenditure of at least eight kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per day.  Canadian girls are less active than boys, with only 38 percent of girls and 48 percent of boys considered active enough. Thirty percent of adolescent girls and 40 percent of adolescent boys are considered active enough.

A major concern regarding childhood obesity is that obese children tend to have an increased risk of becoming overweight in adulthood and with higher morbidity and mortality rates in adulthood. Increasingly, pediatricians are seeing a rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes, childhood hyperlipidemia, hypertension and diabetes in severely overweight children.  (See attached articles)

Although LEVEL 10 FITNESS cannot solve this epidemic alone, they can do their best at helping students in the physical education classroom understand the importance of physical fitness, show them a variety of training techniques and exercises, offer advice and consultation, be a stepping stone for both high school athletes and students wishing to get in better shape, and help the athletic director with the fitness aspect of the Provincial Evergreen Curriculum.

The benefits of physical fitness are numerous.  The following list is but a sample of how daily physical fitness can benefit students in school:

  ·   Higher self-esteem and a more positive outlook  
·   Increased energy levels  
·   Reduced absenteeism due to illness  
·   A strong sense of purpose
·   A strong sense of personal responsibility  
·   A good sense of humor and plenty of fun in life
·   A conscious commitment to personal excellence  
·   A sense of balance and an integrated lifestyle
·   Capacities to manage life demands and communicate effectively.  
·   Fit people tend to take on more leadership roles  
·   Fit people tend to have better attitudes  
·   Fit people are less stressed

In summary, lifestyle choices, including your attitudes/beliefs/emotional responses and actions, will have a far greater impact on your health, work, and wellness performance than any other single factor.

In this regard, creating a strategic alliance with LEVEL 10 FITNESS, a lifestyle management company, can serve as a launch point for your students’ Health and Wellness Program.

LEVEL 10 FITNESS provides a wide variety of health services.  These services are focused on improving all aspects of their client’s lives.  Through personal training, physical evaluations, nutritional strategies, stress reducing techniques, health-related referrals, and rehabilitation, LEVEL 10 FITNESS will bring out the most of the students.

LEVEL 10 FITNESS’ expertise will help your school deliver focused messaging, resource materials, and programs to your students in a staged fashion over time.  

FOUNDATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Taken from the Saskatchewan Evergreen Curriculum for Secondary physical education, it states that:  

One of the primary goals of physical education in Saskatchewan is to provide each student with the opportunity to develop an optimal level of fitness. Physical fitness instruction is a necessary component of a balanced physical education program. Participating in physical fitness, developing positive attitudes about exercise and physical fitness and continuously applying this knowledge to everyday life outside the classroom should be an integral part of each student's learning experiences in physical education at all grade levels.

It is becoming increasingly clear that students move into their adult years continuing to choose lifestyles that include little physical activity. Physical education can make a difference. Through a well balanced program, with emphasis on continued integration of fitness activities and information, physical educators can play a significant role in encouraging the pursuit of healthy, active lifestyles.

At the same time, teachers must be aware that with approximately thirty minutes a day currently devoted to physical education, and often far less, it is unrealistic to expect students to reach optimal levels of fitness by merely attending class. With this in mind, it is crucial that teachers strive to influence students beyond class periods. With the thoughtful assistance of physical educators, students can be motivated to participate in self-directed activity that will enable them to lead healthy, active lifestyles throughout life. Teachers must not only provide class time for activity, but require that out-of-class time be spent on lifestyle-related activities

The percent allotment for Fitness in the curriculum is 10%.  According to the Learning Objectives set out:  

• Students will explain and use new terminology related to physical fitness

• Students will demonstrate the desire to participate willingly in vigorous physical activities.

• Students will demonstrate an understanding of how one's level of personal fitness is related to stress management, healthy eating and choice of leisure activities.

• Students will demonstrate the ability to assess and apply acceptable training principles in designing personal programs to improve health-related components of cardiovascular/respiratory efficiency, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, body composition, and posture.

LEVEL 10 FITNESS lives by these objectives as well, utilizing a state of the art facility and equipment, and professional trainers who are on the cutting edge of new exercises, techniques, and terminologies.  All trainers are FULLY CERTIFIED, which means their practices are safe, proper, and fun.  Most physical education teachers are not certified trainers, opening the door for legal action.

The Saskatchewan Physical Education Safety Guidelines have been set out to ensure student safety is a priority, and that all activities are done in a safe and reasonable fashion.  LEVEL 10 FITNESS ensures safety first.  The preventative safeguards set out by the government state:

All students require physical activity. Attainment of objectives as set out in this document and careful adherence to safety procedures established by the school will provide both a safe environment and the opportunity for lots of activity. There are general implications relating to injury prevention that are applicable to all grades. If the following basic measures are taken, chances of injury will decrease:

• Introduce activities appropriate to the skill level of the participant. Follow educationally sound teaching practices; never require a student to perform a skill beyond his or her capabilities.

• Provide adequate supervision for any scheduled physical education activity.

According to the Safety Guidelines, weight training is a high risk activity.  Many precautions must be taken.  The trainers at LEVEL 10 FITNESS will instruct all students in proper lifting techniques and safety procedures and teach skills in proper progression.  Proper warm ups and cool downs will be done.  Some of the examples of stretching and exercises in the guide are improper and outdated.  In fact, if there is a lack of weight lifting equipment, many newer exercising techniques involving agility ladders, ropes, chalk, boxes, hurdles, medicine balls, stability balls, rubber bands, and body weight can be used very effectively in a quality workout

WHAT CAN LEVEL 10 FITNESS OFFER YOUR SCHOOL?

LEVEL 10 FITNESS can be available to your school’s physical education and athletic program in a variety of capacities:

In-school fitness during scheduled physical education classes   
In-school wellness/nutrition
On-line web information on your school’s website
Staff wellness
Health class lectures
Training for school teams
In-facility training at LEVEL 10 FITNESS
Staff in servicing on professional development days

Call Today 337 0010

Sessions can be done weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, or by request.  LEVEL 10 FITNESS will work to suit what fits best for the school’s schedule and existing program.  Depending on the time allotment, our staff will run the class through a thorough and proper warm up, and run the students through a variety of footwork drills, combined with resistance training, and education on the how’s and why’s of exercising.  Classes can be divided into competitive/non-competitive, or done as an entire group.  Depending on class size, space, and equipment, a workout will be created to suit everyone’s needs.  If needed, some equipment can be brought from LEVEL 10 FITNESS to aid in the session if we were to attend your school.

We ask that if you are interested in booking LEVEL 10 FITNESS that you give at least two weeks notice so arrangements and scheduling can be done.