A national running campaign in China requires that all students K-16 run daily at school (Elementary -1 K, Middle School 1.5K, and High School -College 2K). It's all in the name of health and will continue from September 08 through the end of April 09.

It seems China's Minister of Education and teachers felt that childhood obesity and health concerns made the mandate necessary. However, some parents and students felt the running mand…

Ireland's latest playground design "Tone Zone's", an elderly outdoor gym, is meeting with opposition. It seems that when local authorities have been meeting with community members they say, "thanks-but-no thanks", in regards to the new Tone Zones. The challenge it seems is to have the playgrounds close to where old folks live but senior developments see playgrounds are drawing "undesirables".

Kinetic. Explosive. Interactive. NEOS moves at the speed of light. It's Challenging........ The world's newest electronic sport is an electronic game for the heart and lungs—not just the thumbs. It's a giant video looking game with all the bells and point possibilities of a hand held but this game gets kids hearts pumping and pounding.

The NED Show advertises itself as America’s Most Popular School Assembly. More importantly it teaches students what it takes to be champions at school and in life! NED stands for:

Never Give Up Encourage Others Do Your Best®




A new program aimed at fitness for the classroom is entitled, Be Fit and Learn. It is designed for classroom teachers to help motivate kids to get up and move. Materials include classroom warm ups, cool d…

Americans are invited to participate in the first-ever National President’s Challenge.

The six-week fitness program, which kicks off Thursday, the first day of spring, encourages everyone to be active at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. And just in case you need 8 weeks to complete the 6 weeks, no problem they've allow for 2 extra weeks to complete the 6. (Who could ask for more?)

In any case, the goal is to help everyone from chi…

About 5 years ago I had the opportunity to visit numerous schools throughout different regions in China. An educational phenomena that has stuck with me and left a lasting impression was "morning exercise." In all schools in China, students arrive and then go outside to about 15 minutes of student lead exercises daily. Parks are filled with adults who go through a routine of morning and evening exercises as well.

I ran across the p…

From Capitol News, Channel 9, NY by Kaitlyn Ross

Math...A+. Science...B-. Body Mass Index?

Registered Dietitian Judy Carr, said, "There's been a lot of discussion and a lot of debate as to whether this should be included in a child's report card."

The ratio of your child's height to weight could soon make on the report card right next to reading, writing and arithmetic.

Both Arkansas and Illinois have passed legislation, and it…

The pedometer, a simple and inexpensive step-counting device, significantly increases daily activity levels and even promotes weight loss, according to a recent study directed by Dena Bravata, a senior research scientist at Stanford’s School of Medicine.

Bravata and her team of researchers analyzed study results from 2,767 people, mostly overweight and inactive women, who agreed to keep records of their physical activity while using a pedometer o…

The CDC convened a panel of experts to evaluate the evidence for the beneficial effects of physical activity on a broad range of health outcomes and behaviors, including body fat content (adiposity) in school-aged youth, ages 6 to 18. The experts based their evaluation on more than 850 relevant scientific studies. Here we discuss only those findings related to overweight or obesity.

The panelists noted that comparing the findings among studies wa…

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Fitness research shows that when a computer talks the talk, even couch potatoes can be persuaded to walk the walk. Researchers at Stanford University, who studied sedentary people for a year, found that automated exercise reminder phone calls had about the same get-up-and-go power as calls from human counselors.

"The recording had a very nice, kind of cheerleader voice. It sounded very natural," said study partic…

California public school students are slightly trimmer and fitter than they were a year ago, but many still are unable to meet the state's basic level of fitness, according to figures released Thursday by the state Department of Education. And students in Los Angeles, especially high school students, were significantly less fit than the state average.

About 60% of students in fifth, seventh and ninth grades statewide passed an aerobic fitness…

More US adults are making fitness a habit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The percentage of adults reporting regular exercise or physical activity jumped nearly 9% from 2001 to 2005, the CDC says. The findings come from telephone surveys of more than 205,000 adults in 2001 and more than 356,000 adults in 2005. Participants answered questions about how often and how long they got moderate or vigorous physical activit…

LONDON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A new heathcare bill in England authorizes the distribution of letters detailing children's height and weight as part of the fight against childhood obesity.

Parents of children ages 5-10 will receive letters outlining their child's height and weight to be input into an online "fat check" in an effort to determine the onset of obesity, The Telegraph said Saturday.

The new program is part of the Health and…

Jefferson Elementary School has seen a 42 percent decrease in student misbehaviors since they started using the Peaceful Playground Program last year.

The program is designed to reduce conflicts during recess time.

"We're very happy with the reduction in misbehaviors," principal Barb Linke said. "It's also carried over into the classroom. That's what we wanted."



Students often say, "you can't say I can't…

According to Fisher Price, it’s a stationary bike, a learning center, and an arcade game system—all rolled into one! Smart Cycle plugs right into the TV and take kids on "learning adventures". As they pedal, characters guide them through learning discoveries, games, and races. Targeted at ages 3-6 with a price tag of approximately $100 is it the tot answer to the childhood obesity crisis?

A new Wii Fit Video Game (still in development) utilizes a new balance board which simulates various physical activities. The pressure-sensitive board not only registers your movements and projects them on-screen, but also measures your BMI (body mass index) to let you track your fitness progress. Wii Fit features over 40 activities, including hula-hoop, push-ups, yoga, and step aerobics.


Wii Fit isn’t due to hit shelves until early 2008. Click …

OkGo on Treadmills Dancing

If video screen does not appear please use link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI&NR=1&v3

Jersey's health department is escalating the battle against the bulge by starting a new Office of Nutrition and Fitness to better coordinate programs aimed at preventing obesity. The agency is particularly needed in New Jersey - possibly the first state to create such a government body. The Garden State has the highest percentage of overweight and obese children under age 5, at 17.7 percent, according to a 2004 survey by the U.S. Centers for…

An Ohio high tech high school will offer online physical education this fall. The question? "Is it cutting edge or cutting class?"

"The program offers a personalized fitness plan for all levels of student capabilities with added accountability," said Shannon Duff, physical education instructor for Butler Technology and Career Development Schools.

Each week students in the class will be required to participate in 220 minutes o…