New Zealand Skype

What did you think about the Skype with New Zealand?  Do you feel you learned something about their culture in comparison to ours? What do you think they learned from us? What did you learn?

(Other than we need new wifi) :)

Perspective: The Obesity Epidemic

Why does America have an obesity epidemic? What does the rest of the world think about what is going on in our country?  Does everyone have the same perspective?  We agree that sedentary lifestyle combined with the abundance of fast and processed foods are a huge factor in the health of our country.  But as an outsider looking in, what does everyone else think?  Find a news article published outside of the United States that talks about our situation.  What perspective do others bring?  Make sure to include the link to the article you discuss.

 If you are posting from somewhere other than Texas, tell us what you think. Let us know where you are posting from!

*To locate articles from other countries, find the country code here and use a Google search: site:country code and your topic.  Here is an example of searching in the Czech Republic [site:cz American obesity epidemic]

**Since we want to discuss a large range of perspectives, read previous posts before selecting your article to ensure there are no repeats.

RUN!

Run a 1 mile fun run, 5k or 10k this six weeks!  The Color Run, the Firefly Run, the Sidekick Strides for Life,  Foam Fest, and the Zoo Run Run are all going on this six weeks!  Get active and improve your health!  As with all runs, write a brief reflection  of your thoughts and upload a picture of you at the event to our photobucket account.

Fruit and Vegetable Challenge

You know that eating fruits and vegetables are good for you, but do you actually eat them?  The health challenge for this six weeks involves challenging yourself to follow your own advice. What is the recommended daily intake for fruits and vegetables?   Can you go at least three days consuming that amount?  Be adventurous and try new foods to add variety to your diet. 

Get Fit!

Exercise and a healthy diet are the best ways to prevent heart disease.  Can you find a way to incorporate cardiovascular exercise into your schedule?  Can you actually follow the Play 60 recommendations?  For this challenge, you have to be active for 60 minutes a day for a minimum of three days.  You need to do something out of the ordinary - try a fitness class,  go for a run, walk the dog...anything that you are not use to doing.  It is helpful to take this challenge with a group of friends or family.  Discuss what you did and write a brief reflection on the experience.  Explain why exercise is important for cardiovascular health.

UTSW

Attend one of the UTSW sessions this month either on Monday, January 28 to hear from a Pediatric Nurse or on Monday, February 25 to learn about melanoma.  Discuss your thoughts about what you learned and what you thought of the experience of attending a medical school seminar.  Don't forget to RSVP to the event on the class website.

NFL Play 60

The NFL's campaign PLAY 60 encourages youth to exercise and be active for 60 minutes a day.  

"Enter for a chance to win a visit from the NFL PLAY 60 Bus at your school or community center. Tell us what your community needs to help kids from Kindergarten to 8th grade PLAY 60 every day and stay active and healthy - your school or community center may end up winning just what you asked for!"   

Write a brief essay that answers these two questions.  Be creative and original 

What's the biggest challenge facing your school/center's health & wellness efforts? 

How can the NFL and the NFL PLAY 60 Bus make your community a better place for kids to get active and healthy?

Cardio Health Challenge

Can you become heart healthy for 5 days?  Choose one or more of these 5 Day Challenges to improve your heart health.  Try to convince family or friends to join you.  It's only 5 days!

Was it difficult to complete?  What was the most challenging part?  Do you think you will continue?  Why is it necessary for heart health?

Challenge 1:  No fast food or anything FRIED 

Challenge 2:  Replace white flour with 100% whole wheat

Challenge 3:  No processed food! (This one requires some work!)  

You can take any of the mini pledges from the 100 Days of Real Food blog.