Physical Activity and Nutrition for Health

Kids are struggling with weight issues as they never have before. In fact, more than 15 percent of children ages 6 to 19 are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those same kids face greater risks of developing type 2 diabetes, elevated cholesterol levels, and heart disease. They're also more likely to experience depression, anxiety, social isolation, and decreased attendance at school.

To combat this problem, many schools are turning to coordinated school health models to develop healthier students. And that's where Physical Activity and Nutrition for Health comes in.

This book and CD-ROM package will help you promote fitness and nutrition among students and staff, and its nutrition services tools will help you garner support from parents and community members to enhance student success. This package includes

- 60 developmentally appropriate, pilot-tested lessons for fitness and nutrition;

- CD-ROM with 124 reproducibles, including 16 family activities, 45 worksheets, 6 transparencies, 27 exercise cards, 24 food cards, and 6 station cards;

- tools that offer practical ideas for building student health physically, emotionally, and cognitively;

- cross-curricular information that supports other subject areas and is adaptable for various grades;

- multiple assessment techniques; and

- family and community activities.

The lessons are easy to understand and ready to go. In integrating fitness and nutrition concepts as part of a healthy lifestyle, the lessons will help students improve in all components of health-related fitness now while establishing healthy behaviors for the rest of their lives. The lessons are adaptable to involve children with disabilities and include challenges for higher-level and higher-skilled students. All the lesson plans are tied to the WOW! Health Education Series and can be used within that series or on their own.

Section I explores the energy equation, including the calories for energy and the role of the heart and respiratory system in providing energy during exercise. Section II introduces the concept of aerobic activity and presents the FIT principle and the function of carbohydrate and fat as fuel sources for aerobic activities. Section III focuses on improving strength, endurance, and flexibility, and it broadens nutritional knowledge as it relates to weight management and obesity. Section IV emphasizes physical activity and nutrition as parts of a healthy lifestyle.

Physical Activity and Nutrition for Health will help you plan and implement physical education and nutrition education programs that significantly improve health and reinforce standards in health, physical education, mathematics, and science. The fitness elements, nutrition services, and parent involvement tools all address major components of the CDC's coordinated school health model.

Christopher A. Hopper, PhD , is associate dean for teacher preparation and credentialing and a professor of kinesiology at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. He has degrees from the University of Exeter in England and the University of Oregon. Dr. Hopper is a specialist in adapted physical education and has helped promote active lifestyles for children with disabilities. He has played and coached soccer at the high school and college levels. Dr. Hopper has authored six other books and has served on numerous curriculum and advisory committees for Humboldt State University and has written dozens of articles and chapters in books. He has served as a consultant to school districts on promoting health and physical activity.

Bruce Fisher, BA , is an instructor at Humboldt State University focusing on teaching math and science in the elementary curriculum. He has also served as a fieldwork coordinator, supervisor of student teachers, and seminar instructor. He was a distinguished teacher in residence at Humboldt State from 1997 to 2000. Mr. Fisher is coordinator and trainer for Humboldt County Beginning Teacher Support and has been an elementary teacher, instructional services teacher, and teacher of the severely disabled. He has written three other books with the coauthors of this book, has written and published many articles, and has received numerous professional honors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Humboldt County Office of Education and a National Educator Award. He has been a member of Computer-Using Educators, the National Teacher of the Year Association, the California Science Teachers Association, and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Kathy D. Munoz, EdD, RD , is a professor of nutrition and chair of the department of kinesiology and recreation administration at Humboldt State University. She is a member of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and the California Dietetic Association (CDA) and has completed the certification in Adult Weight Management. She has published in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Children's Health Care, Journal of Nutrition Education, and International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise. With the coauthors of this book, she has written a series of curriculum guides for elementary teachers, which is published by Human Kinetics. She is currently coauthoring a college-level textbook for beginning nutrition majors. Dr. Munoz has been recognized for her research in and development of asynchronous learning with an award from the Bbionic Course Contest, an international competition sponsored by Blackboard, Inc., which helps universities host classes online.