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24 economist unsuntribune fitness saturday jan 21 2006 lifestyles 101 fat to fit staff photosjoerd witteveen students at greensborough public school in markham do their daily exercise as part of a living school initiative your school can add exercise healthy food to curriculum by teresa latchford staff writer if your child is spending a little too much time in front of the tv or com puter and you want them to become more active send them to school being a living school means focusing on physical activity and nutrition so greensborough public school in markham starts the day a lit tle differently than most it begins with gator blast where trained student ambas sadors lead each class in a physical routine for five to seven minutes three times a week after the national anthem students also have a healthy snack break in the morning during announcements before going for recess the schedule has also been made more flexible to allow breaks for teacherled activities if students are becoming antsy i class i am more active now in and out of school grade 8 samara doobay said the active breaks in class make me more excited to learn and it is easier to remember things while the aim is to get stu dents active for at least 20 min utes a day nutrition education is as important as being active the school has a nutrition poli cy stating the school is to make an effort to limit junk food the school doesnt offer chips or pop for fundraisers or weekly lunch specials instead of hot dog days the school has organized subway days and offers water juice or milk for pizzadays we dont ban anything but we give them the information and let the students make the choice principal scott yake said for halloween they planned healthy snacks rather than bringing in candy keegan kalideen also a grade 8 student at greensbor ough said the program is fun for everyone not only does he enjoy the benefits such as hav ing more energy and fun but he is motivated to get his fami ly and friends involved in a healthy lifestyle as well we monitor each other in school you know like if some one is eating a chocolate bar you say that really isnt that healthy you know he said but it is good to have the whole school doing it because we all talk about it together it only took a bit of commu nication for the parents to be onboard by instilling the same education and becoming involved with their childs health at home mr yake said there have been no sup port barriers for us he said the phone started ringing right away people in the com- munity were eager to help for example community organizations and individuals have donated time resources and support that had a real impact on the program the towns recreation department helped set up a summer play- more than a feeling cool school principal scott yake has noticed some positive outcomes as a result of being a living school increased morale of students and teachers overwhelming response from parents and the community increased attendance students are more focused and minimal behavioural problems ground dropin program uti lizing an empty building and offering a cheap form of child- care to the community greensborough is only in its second year of operation but has been a living school since it opened its doors in septem ber 2004 the living school program began as a pilot project man aged by the ontario physical and health education associa tion and is designed to help schools incorporate and emphasize the importance of physical activity and healthy eating into their students lives with the help of parents fellow educators and the community kids need some direction and education about the bene fits of an active life and maybe some of the deterrents for not being active mr yake said we decided to build the phi losophy right in to the school after working with ophea consultant margaret good and consulting parents various community members and stu dents a sustainable plan was confirmed and implemented after almost two years mr yake has noticed an increase in staff and student morale high er attendance and students who are more focused and have fewer behavioural prob lems the bottom line is this is working for us mryakesaid i truly believe that if we teach students about physical educa tion and healthy eating now it will stick for the rest of their lives with the success of the pro gram two other schools in york region have become living schools ellen fairclough and john mccrae public schools in markham for more information or to fill out an application for your school visit wnwin- ingschoplca- s excuses you can run o you remem ber the holiday season after a month of festive eat ing most of us are looking to improve our health with the increase in runners and chari ty events chances are you have contemplat ed running a 5k road race but how do you get started most of you proba bly think you cant run we tend to make statements such as i couldnt run in high school my knees hurt or im too old the excuses are endless well dispel all your ideas on who is and isnt a runner and how anyone who real ly wants to become a runner can it is just like the little train that could if your goal for 2006 is to run your local 5k road face then it can be done ah you need are the tools to get start ed first and foremost talk with your doctor go slow obvious ly you would like to make running a lifestyle change so take your time this way you should avoid injury there are a variety of ways to get your foot out the door in a safe and healthy way you can join a clin ic at local running stores such as run ning free and the running room both programs life in the slow lane take it easy before launching a running lifestyle see you doctor and then start slowly read then run suggested reading for novices runnersworldrw of beginning running by kmby burfoot no need for speed- a beginners guide to the joy of running by john bingham fitness files marcia guthenberg which are designed to have you complete a 5k run include a series of eight or 10 weekly clinics that cover a variety of top ics such as biome chanics nutrition shoe selection moti vation stretching and injury prevention they- also introduce you to new people who soon may be your new running buddies you can hire a per sonal trainer at a fit ness club to set up a program for you or take the doityour self method follow ing a program written by a running profes sionalenthusiast you can also join an online clinic theyre ideal for those who do not live close to a running store or fitness club travel a lot or find it difficult to fit in a clinic things to keep in mind before you start recognize how you learn by finding the right program this will keep you motivated to com plete the program remember to set small achievable goals so that you can reach your ultimate goal dont get dis couraged with set backs setbacks allow you to take note of how you need to adjust your program and show you what you need to do to improve enjoy your adven ture it is not how fast you run just that you do it and enjoy it yes anyone can run marcia guthenberg is a running instructor at run ning room in markham got a question for our fitness experts please email mhayakawayrngcom