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Featured
Health & Fitness Articles
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No
topic in school carries as much emotion and controversy as sexuality
education. Two good sites for information on comprehensive and abstinence
based sex education are the Seicus
website
and the Focus on the Family website's A
Case for Abstinence.
Adolescent
Suicide
Few
things are as tragic as teen suicide yet suicide ranks as the third
cause of death among adolescents in America. Often teachers and
coaches form the front line of defense against this epidemic. Good
information can be accessed at the American
Psychiatric Association
and TEACH
online.
Runaways
Hope
may give way to action with the creation of the Lost
Child website and the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Kids which helps teens
and parents reunite. This is type of resource we hope we never need
but thankful for its existence.
Drinking
and Driving Prevention
Anytime
we hear about teens working to prevent drunk driving it's a good
thing. The National Students Against Drunk Driving SADD
website features information on grassroots efforts being made to
lower the rates of alcohol related auto accidents. Maybe you could
consider forming a chapter at your school.
What
are those kids up to?
The premier SADD-Liberty
Mutual Teens Today report
examines the results of two concurrent surveys of parent and teen
groups regarding the behaviors and concerns of the U.S. teenage
population in 2000. The teen survey charts the pressures and risks
perceived by today's teens in their daily lives, capturing concerns
ranging from violence and suicide to contracting a sexually transmitted
disease. The survey also probes actual behaviors by teens in some
critical areas, including speeding, drinking and driving, and the
use of seatbelts.
Andy Jenkins
Health and Fitness Section Editor
Need
help finding good information on a variety of health topics from
consumerism to nutrition? Check out the Kid's Stuff
page at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
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| Editorial
- Exercise Dropout |
Nothing
is more frustrating to a fitness professional than looking at the dropout
rates for exercise programs. Research shows that dropout rates among
those who voluntarily enter exercise programs are highest in the first
90 days, reaching approximately 50 percent by one year. Exercise is
like other health-related behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation, weight
loss, dietary modification, etc.) in that only about half the individuals
who initiate the behavior continue, regardless of the type of exercise
program or their initial health status.
One
aspect of exercise programming that is often overlooked is whether or
not the exercise program has been initially designed to maximize an
individual's willingness to stick with the program. Two key questions
arise in regard to sticking with an exercise regimen: Why do people
drop out of exercise programs, and, what can be done to increase an
individual's level of exercise adherence?
Unfortunately, the answers to either question are not clear-cut. Just
as people join an exercise program for varying reasons, they also drop
out for different reasons. According to many experts, four of the most
critical factors with regard to exercise adherence are 1) injuries,
2) time, 3) boredom and 4) results.
I believe assessing an individualšs initial level of motivation to start
an exercise program can have a short and long-term impact on their exercise
adherence. Read more on exercise
motivation.
Scott
Roberts
Health and Fitness Section Editor
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Over
one-half of all Americans (about 97 million) are overweight
or obese. If you are overweight or obese, carrying this extra
weight puts you at risk for developing many diseases, especially
heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.
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Exercising
in the Cold
As winter approaches, exercising or participating in sports can be problematic.
In fact, many of us significantly reduce our exercise routines because
of adverse weather. In this article, I give some simple advice to follow
to make cold weather exercise participation safer and more enjoyable.
Click
here to join the
Bulletin
Board for PE & Health Teachers
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Welcome
to the second of our Health, Fitness, & Nutrition sections of PELINKS4U.
To improve the quality of this publication we would like you to:
- tell
your friends about PELINKS4U
- send
us one fitness, health, or nutrition idea to share
- send
us reports from any workshops or conferences you attend
- support
our site sponsors
Thanks.
Your support is appreciated.
Aim
For A Healthy Weight
This
week we feature a helpful website from the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute. The NHLBI guidelines provide a new approach for the measurement
of overweight and obesity and a set of steps for safe and effective weight
loss.
Contributors
Wanted!!
PELINKS4U
welcomes articles, letters, ideas, conference dates and reports, suggestions
for links and any suggestions for site improvements. Help to support quality
physical education by contributing to this site.
Tips
on Becoming More Active
- Take
the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
- Walk
whenever possible.
- Park
your car a mile or just a few blocks from your intended destination
and then walk.
-
Do at least one chore a day that involves physical activity.
- Take
breaks to get some activity to avoid sitting for more than 30 minutes
at a time.
- Stretch
when you stand in line or watch TV.
- When
taking public transportation, get off one stop down the line and walk.
- Go
dancing instead of going to a movie.
- Walk
to visit a friend instead of calling them.
- Put
your remote control in storage.
- Seize
every opportunity to get up and walk and move around.
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