On the Home Team

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On the Home Team
On the Home Team
What Parents Can Do to Improve Teen Fitness and
Health
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One of the most important actions you can take to
improve your childs fitness and health is to
support your schools physical education program.
Todays physical education adds up to meaningful,
beneficial, and safe experiences
Individualization Age-appropriate activities
Skills and experiences Lifelong fitness.
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The New Physical Education Quality Physical
Education . . .
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For example, depending on age and experience,
your teen may learn to
Self-test health-related fitness components
(e.g., cardiovascular endurance, flexibility).
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Keep a fitness log to encourage physical activity.
Apply math skills to calculate heart rate.
Use language skills to log physical activity.
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Shop wisely for personal fitness equipment and
centers.
Improve basic motor skills needed to participate
in physical activities.
Design a personal fitness program.
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Today, through quality physical education, your
teen can
Learn to apply many academic skills.
Discover enjoyable physical activities for
lifelong fitness.
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Apply social skills through cooperative
activities.
Participate in positive competition.
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Benefits of Quality Physical Education . . .
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Physical activity improves sequencing abilities
and access to memory.
Physical activity improves ability to master new
academic material.
Source Ratey 2001
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Learning how to participate safely and
effectively in physical activity through physical
education also builds confidence and interest in
physical activity.
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Fitness skills and information teach your son or
daughter how to make and implement healthier
lifestyle choices.
Developing the habit of making healthier
lifestyle choices means a healthier teen nowand
a healthier adult in the future.
Regular physical activity enhances feelings of
well-being (U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services 2000a).
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Feelings of confidence and joy in physical
activity gained through quality physical
education increase the likelihood your teen will
become a physically activeand therefore
healthieradult.
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Physically competent and active teens are less
likely to beor becomeoverweight or obese.
Physically competent and active teens are less
likely to develop heart disease or diabetes later
in life.
Source USDHHS 2000b.
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Physically active children smoke less (JAMA 1993).
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When physical inactivity is combined with poor
diet, the impact on health is devastating,
accounting for an estimated 300,000 deaths per
year. Tobacco use is the only behavior that kills
more people.
JAMA 1993, as reported in USDHHS 2000b.
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Other ActionsYou Can Take . . .
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Support Your Schools Physical Education Program
. . .
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Encourage your School Board to fund physical
education fully.
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Encourage your teen to try a variety of
activities through both physical education and
activities outside school.
Discourage the use of physical education waivers.
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Ask other parents and local businesses to get
involved.
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Help with fundraisers to buy new equipment and to
obtain further teacher training.
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Support Your Schools Physical Education Program
Ask your physical education staff for more
specific suggestions.
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Choose Physical Activity Instead of Inactivity
. . .
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Encourage your teen to join out-of-school
programs that encourage and facilitate physical
activity and other healthy choices.
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Provide transportation to local physical activity
sites, such as skating rinks, swimming pools, and
parks.
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Do sit-ups, push-ups, or gentle stretches during
TV commercial breaks. Make it fun!
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Help your teen find a safe way to bike or walk to
school and other events more often than he or she
does now.
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Most teens are sociable by nature, so, for
example, welcome your teens friends to play
basketball in the driveway, or, take a group to a
vertical climbing gym or hiking site.
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Bike as a family to a local restaurant, movie
theater, or other attraction.
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Choose Physical Activity Instead of Inactivity
Be creative, and the choices will be endless!
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Encourage Other Healthy Choices . . .
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Talk to your teen about avoiding alcohol, other
drugs, and tobacco. Teens do listen.
Source Joseph A. Califano, Jr., 2000, CASA
President.
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Provide healthy drinks plenty of water, low-fat
milk, and unsweetened juice. Encourage your
school to do so too!
Note Overconsumption of softdrinks is partly
blamed for the explosion in childhood obesity
(The Lancet 2001).
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What You Can Do
You can help a your teen live a more physically
active, healthier life by making a few simple
changes such as these.
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Start with one or two small changes. Then build
from there to a healthier lifefor the whole
family!
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Funding for this program was provided by PE4Life
(www.PE4LIFE.org) andHuman Kinetics Publishers
(www.humankinetics.com) Content support was
provided by The National Association for Sport
and Physical Education (NASPE) www.aahperd.org/nas
pe