I guess winter is not my thing, because every winter editorial that I write seems to be a reaction to my dispirited vision of things affecting our profession. Once again I find myself motivated by a negative insight. It came from a New York Times article about the British response to childhood obesity - a law on trans-fats.

Schools changed their menu. Students didn't. Rather than eat the new items, many kids went on a bread and butter diet. That got me thinking of some long term conundrums physical educators face, such as the collective response to years of information that our kids' health is in danger. Alarmed that a growing number of kids are unfit, and also showing an increased incidence of obesity and childhood diabetes, what do the pundits do? They reduce physical education, reduce active recess, and expect that children will somehow increase their activity.

Where are we in this? For want of discipline and control and fear of lawsuits, many of us have our students sit on arrival, take forever taking attendance, do the same old warm-ups daily, and meter out the least amount of equipment we possibly can once class begins.

So there it is. You can neither legislate correct choices, nor teach old dogs new tricks. The old dogs are models for new ones. Oh new is learned, intellectually, but many people who have to react do so in the same old way. So, if we had good role models, great, but if we had bad ones, the chances are that their bad choices will continue forever.

In our affluent society we can buy in large quantity, spend hard earned cash on food we either don't need, or we can wolf (it . . . delete) down too fast to realize we don't need it because we didn't spend hours cooking it. Yes, our lives are rushed, but does it really necessitate our (delete . . mean) taking every shortcut possible even though it is not the healthiest way to go? It does for most, and it will for our kids.

How do we change that?

We do it slowly. We do it methodically. We work on one issue at a time. We don't give up. We constantly move the kids toward our goal until making good choices becomes their habit. (And . . delete) Should we be good role models? Yes, an emphatic yes.

Let's start this winter. Though winter means less outdoor activity for most, let's kick it up a notch. Let's do all we can to keep students moving, having fun doing it, and relating to each other so that the power of their activity and the great group dynamics they experience keep them engaged and wanting more. Let's have discipline, loads of activity, and a great social environment every day. And let's learn how to make sure that one does not negate the other.

Have a healthy and happy winter.

Isobel Kleinman
Secondary Section Editor

P.S. You think that the athletes we train are safe, healthy, motivated to stay fit and active? As it turns out, once the competition is over, once the coach is not there to push, once the crowds are no longer cheering, even our athletes become complacent, inactive, overweight, and out of shape. "Once an Athletic Star, Now an Unheavenly Body," The New York Times, July 6, 2006. This article can be found FREE at East Carolina University.

The Virtues of Line Dancing for a Healthy Body and Mind

The American Institute for Cancer Research, who recommends moderate exercise at least an hour everyday, says that line dancing does not only make an hour fly, but provides participants with new friends and greater fitness. The article speaks about the virtues of line dancing for people with knees and hip problems, and notes that young people who learn it can enjoy line dancing into old age. (Newletter, Summer 2003, Issue 80).

	scooterlee.com (includes info on Senior Olympics)
	Line Dance International
	EducationNow.com
	Linedancing Links (includes info about wheelchair dancing)
	Linedancer Magazine

Consider this for being heart healthy and

	do it for the kids who are tired of the same old thing.
	do it because kids need to move the whole period.
	do it because kids should learn to move to rhythms.

You need a good sound system, and the willingness to try something that might not be your strong suite. Aerobic dance is loved by most girls, and most kids love moving to popular music. They even love a smattering of folk dance thrown in once they learn it. The goals is to give kids tons of activity, help them improve their social skills, and enlighten them to the concepts of aerobic movement and cardiovascular fitness.

DAY 1

Step 1 - choose a rigorous folk dance, teach it, have the kids do it, and include it in the aerobic dance routine you are starting to build.

Step 2 - get a song you like that is about 5 minutes, create a simple abdominal/thigh routine (i.e. 8 crunches, 8 right leg lifts up, 8 left leg lifts up, 8 more abdominals, 8 other types of abdominals, 8 R leg lifts back, 8 left leg lifts back, repeat from the beginning until the music if over).

Step 3 - teach a novelty dance to a modern rhythm (ie, Saturday Nite Fever Walk, Pata Pata, Electric Slide etc.) as a cool down or warm-up. Decide once you've built more of your routine.

DAY 2

Step 4 - Begin with the novelty dance by reviewing the steps. Dance it through.

Step 5 - Teach a dance to a popular song with an energetic beat. Choose the music and movement by matching instructions to different musical phrases (usually 8 to 16 beats) using basic locomotion (ie: run forward 16 steps, run backward 16 steps, hop in a CCW circle 8 beats, jump in place 8 beats, repeat until the music is over. Don't forget the arms.

Step 6 - with music, do the abdominal exercise you taught the day before

Step 7 - review and do to music the rigorous folk dance you taught the day before

Step 8 - teach a cool down routine which has students doing essential stretches. Make sure they stretch properly, and hold each position at least 16 beats.

At the end of day 2 you will have your students dancing 3 routines, doing one set of abdominal/thigh exercises, and stretching as they cool down.

DAY 3

Step 9 - Teach a second moderate novelty dance.

Step 10 - Teach a vigorous dance to something the kids love listening to. Otherwise, go into your folk dance books and look for something easy but vigorous (Hora, Savila Se Bela Loza, a Polka).
Review and do what you have time for, ending with the cool down. Take home the music, copy it to one tape, start with the favorite slow novelty dance, then something fast, then something else fast, then the abdominal routine, then something moderate, then the last slow novelty dance, then the stretching routine. The music should carry you from the beginning to the end of the class.

DAY 4 and until the last week of the unit let the music play as the kids come from the locker room. Music will be the driving force of the lesson.

THE LAST WEEK - introduce cardiovascular concepts. For more assistance, see the fitness unit in Complete Physical Education Plans for Grades 7-12.

Though drinking fluids avoids dehydration and is extremely important, active people are now hydrating with alternatives . . . sports drinks that contain lots of additives. They want the energy boost, not just the hydration. So, as they swallow the most common of sports drinks, they also take in electrolytes, carbohydrates, salt and minerals. Some companies have taken their drinks a step further and added caffeine, guarana, and synephrine.

When an ingredient (synephrine) is a new and popular alternative to the active ingredient in ephedra (ephedrine), that has been banned by the F.D.A. because it has been linked to heart problems and heatstroke deaths among young athletes, it is time to worry. There is more. Read “Energy Drinks Are Fueling Concerns,” The New York Times, June 19, 2006.

Read more on Synephrine and note the external links further down the page.

Non-Profit Agency Coordinates Action for Healthy Kids - We are Action for Healthy Kids. The only nonprofit organization formed specifically to address the epidemic of overweight, undernourished, and sedentary youth by focusing on changes at school. We work in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to improve children's nutrition and increase physical activity, which will in turn improve their readiness to learn. Find out more.

TV Motivates Dancing - Assign your kids to watch one of the dancing reality shows "Shall we Dance" or "U Can Dance" or "Dancing with the Stars" to motivate them to dance, too. Then assign them a project to go with it. See Mad Hot Ballroom (also see reviews) which is a documentary about fifth grade public school students learning to ballroom dance. It is so uplifting, so cute, so educationally sound, you can easily find yourself crying with joy, and even more committed to getting your community to introduce dance in the school.

ADVOCATE INSTANT ACTIVITY

Have all the equipment for your unit available for use the minute your students arrive on the gym floor. During free play, students won't be wild or disorganized as you might think. Though unstructured, they will practice what you taught, and you - the teacher - have time to help the kids who had trouble picking up what you taught as easily as the others. What is the advantage? They can learn without holding up the rest of the class.

Free Play has added value. It gives your advanced kids a chance to play with their buddies - buddies whom you should separate when making class teams. If the advanced students have time to play together, they won't resent you when you put them on a team full of kids they think "can’t play" and are given the responsibility to help and encourage teammates to keep trying.

Allowing free play is a win-win. The only awkward time you will have as a teacher is during the first lesson, of the first day, of the first time you meet your class. Why? Because some kids are so drilled to sit down when they enter a gym that they wouldn't dare touch the equipment until you entitle them to. And, at that, it might take some convincing to get them accustomed to coming in and starting right away.

Truthfully, once your kids get used to having equipment available to them, they will spend less time in the locker room, you will have few locker room problems, and your kids will spend more time on the gym floor. The hesitant learner will learn more easily, and with less fear, because he or she will have the time to work on skills without the glaring eyes of their class watching as they do. The fact is, no one will be watching because the others will be practicing or playing with friends elsewhere.

If you doubt me, let me tell you, I taught for 31 years. This works!

Students can measure, record, and report the calories they expend, either in a minute-by-minute review, or all day long by using calorie-counting heart monitors. They can learn what it takes to burn a calorie, and even begin to equate food with being the body's fuel source. They can learn how much fuel they burn everyday, and how if they take in more than needed, they should be expecting the excess to be stored in the form of body fat which usually accumulates under the skin and around organs. Armed with such information, they might be encouraged to make better decisions on consumption and activity levels.

Pedometers provide excellent feedback. They help students see if they are meeting and/or exceeding guidelines on an ongoing basis. They give objective feedback when evaluating if expectations that get them doing more movement are being met.

WORTH THE WAIT

The program's mission is to educate adolescents and adults on the consequences of teen sexual activity including the medical, social, economic, and legal impacts.

Being a teen can be exciting, confusing, and scary all at the same time. This site provides great information to help you sort through the mixed messages and conflicting emotions you face every day. Knowledge is power - they have solid facts, figures, suggestions, and advice to empower you to choose what is best for you when it comes to sexual activity.

Check out not only the left hand menu, but the right menu as well including 101 Fun Things to Do.

Here are excerpts from lessons in the Worth the Wait® curricula. These are provided for previewing how the materials are formatted and the subject matter is addressed. - source: Worth the Wait