Our Trip to Sacramento for The Governor's Council Ceremony

We did our best to document what we could on the whirlwind trip to Sacramento. I wish all of my 100 Mile Club® Kids and Families, and Coaches, and everyone could have been there with us. The whole time, I was thinking of you all...

Let's Get Technical for a Minute...seriously.

Basal ganglia volume is associated with aerobic fitness in preadolescent children.

Chaddock L, Erickson KI, Prakash RS, VanPatter M, Voss MW,

Pontifex MB, Raine LB, Hillman CH, Kramer AF.

Department of Psychology, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20693803

ABSTRACT, August 2010:  The present investigation is the first to explore the association between childhood aerobic fitness and basal ganglia structure and function. Rodent research has revealed that exercise influences the striatum by increasing dopamine signaling and angiogenesis.

In children, higher aerobic fitness levels are associated with greater hippocampal volumes, superior performance on tasks of attentional and interference control, and elevated event-related brain potential indices of executive function.

The present study used magnetic resonance imaging to investigate if higher-fit and lower-fit 9- and 10-year-old children exhibited differential volumes of other subcortical brain regions, specifically the basal ganglia involved in attentional control. The relationship between aerobic fitness, dorsal and ventral striatum volumes and performance on an attention and inhibition Eriksen flanker task was also examined.

The results indicated that...

• Higher-fit children showed superior flanker task performance compared to lower-fit children.
• Higher-fit children also showed greater volumes of the dorsal striatum, and dorsal striatum volume was negatively associated with behavioral interference.

The results support the claim that the dorsal striatum is involved in cognitive control and response resolution and that these cognitive processes vary as a function of aerobic fitness. No relationship was found between aerobic fitness, the volume of the ventral striatum and flanker performance.

The findings suggest that increased childhood aerobic fitness is associated with greater dorsal striatal volumes and that this is related to enhanced cognitive control.

Because children are becoming increasingly overweight, unhealthy and unfit, understanding the neurocognitive benefits of an active lifestyle during childhood has important public health and educational implications.

What does this all MEAN??

It means, let's get MOVIN'!
It means fit kids can pay attention more easily that their unfit peers.

It means what we are doing is helping our kids academically, physically and socially! 

It means what we are doing is working!

 

So...go! Run, move, walk, increase the volume of your basal ganglia!! At school, at home, before school, during school, after school...everywhere, all the time!  :)

GO!! 

Is there any reason NOT to?

The results are in. again.

Saying you don't have time to physically get out and move during the day because you, your students, and/or your school simply have no time and are too focused on "The Academics" is like saying you have no time to sleep because you are just too tired to be able to fit sleep in to your schedule.  Yea.  It's like that.

It just doesn't make sense.

This new study proves that exercise, optimal learning capacity, and brain development go hand in hand...in hand.

In an experiment published last month, researchers recruited schoolchildren, ages 9 and 10, who lived near the Champaign-Urbana campus of the University of Illinois and asked them to run on a treadmill. The researchers were hoping to learn more about how fitness affects the immature human brain. Read more from the NY Times blogger, Tara Parker-Pope.  She sums it up perfectly. 

100 Mile Club® Kids at Washington School in Norco ALL gather for a brisk morning jog. 

...the takeaway is clear. “More aerobic exercise” for young people, Mr. Kuhn said. Mr. Hillman agreed. So get kids moving, he added, and preferably away from their Wiis. A still-unpublished study from his lab compared the cognitive impact in young people of 20 minutes of running on a treadmill with 20 minutes of playing sports-style video games at a similar intensity.

Running improved test scores immediately afterward.

Playing video games did not. 

Source:  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/phys-ed-can-exercise-make-kids-smarter/

Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports SPOTLIGHT AWARD Ceremony: The 100 Mile Club® Brings Home the Gold!

Click the screen to begin.

If you go to about minute 17, it is us. We were first up...

It was exceedingly apparent that the Governor's Council is the product of the two most important blocks of Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: industriousness and enthusiasm. Without those two blocks, nothing else is possible.



Visit Coach Wooden's Website and an interactive Pyramid of Success at http://www.coachwooden.com/


Kenny Rogers, Executive Director, Jake Steinfeld, Council Chairman, and Karla Borromeo, Project Director made the day comfortable, enjoyable, and so incredibly special for us all.  Walking in, they knew my name, my son's name, and welcomed us with open arms.  The ceremony was equal parts pep rally and dignified ceremony...cheeky, entertaining, and simultaneously 100% mission-focused.

WE MUST HELP OUR KIDS RECLAIM THEIR HEALTH.

Best quote that I remember from the morning reception:

Our kids are our future, and if our kids aren't healthy, we have nothing. -Jake Steinfeld

Best thing said to me onstage right after a medal and a hug: 

YOU are doing it big time! - Arnold Schwarzenneger

WE are doing it big time.  What we are doing is working!  Last week, I received calls from schools in inner cities, schools in fancy ocean view neighborhoods, and schools in hard working suburbs.  They all have the same issues...getting kids healthy and reconnected to school, their commmunities, and themselves. 

We are in this TOGETHER.  Be sure to stay connected and join or bookmark our Facebook page, and even follow our periodic tweets!  The website calendar is a great way to stay on top of upcoming events, and if you have an event to add, shoot us an email with your info and we will add it...no matter where you are!

Visit http://www.calgovcouncil.org/Spotlight/ for more information!



Ultramarathoner Jimmy Dean Freeman Visits 100 Mile Club® School

At 9:30 PST on September 2, Jimmy Dean Freeman left his house in Brentwood and went for a little run...62 miles to be exact. All night. All the way to McKinley School in Corona. Waiting for him were 800 kids and a microphone. This is just silly little Flip video that we shot during the assembly...The real video is coming soon! Go, Jimmy GO!

Jefferson Award!

Doing GOOD 101: 100 Mile Club®, GOOD, and Pepsi are Making a Difference!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Heat is ON!!

The heat is on all over the country!

At the same time, our kids are BUBBLING with enthusiasm about moving moving moving!

I just have a few words of wisdom for you as you head into (or kick off) your 100 Mile Clubs:

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!! So do you have to drink eight glasses of water a day? No, but you do need to drink enough to satisfy your thirst, and maybe a little extra if you're going to be exercising. The best drink is water, of course, but milk is another great drink for kids. Juice is OK, but choose it less often than water and milk. Sports drinks are fine once in a while, but water should be considered the drink of champions. Read more...


Sometimes kids will be so excited about running (or walking) that you as teacher-coach must use your wisdom and coach kids to "take it easy". Remind them that they have aaaaalllllll year to reach their goals, and not to worry if they miss a day, if it is too hot, etc. Use common sense. And remind them to drink WATER!

Most kids (even older ones) cannot conceptualize the whole year and how long they have to get their 100 miles done...they feel this sense of urgency and may need to take a look at a calendar and plan out what they need to do to meet their personal goal. You certainly don't want anyone getting burned out or hurt. 10 minutes a day is more than enough time to move...

As with any p.e. activity, you have kids who may need to walk or sit out some days. Again, we are celebrating and encouraging personal best and some days personal best is...rest. Letting kids know that tomorrow is a new day and another chance to give their best and meet those goals is a perfect way to keep them motivated.

Set a specific day to wear shirts! Even if the kids wear last year's shirts until they earn their new one, this is a fun way to encourage community and campus spirit. Make sure to have your yearbook photographer out on those days! The smiles will be huge.

Enjoy and feel free to fwd this to your staff so they can be "in the loop"!

WHY EAT BREAKFAST? A Lesson and a Poem!

What's for breakfast - coffee? Most mornings, we barely glance at the kitchen. Fixing breakfast takes up precious time that's in short supply. But there's ample evidence that the simple act of eating breakfast -- every day -- is a big part of losing weight, lots of weight.

"People skip breakfast thinking they're cutting calories, but by mid-morning and lunch, that person is starved," says Milton Stokes, RD, MPH, chief dietitian for St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City. "Breakfast skippers replace calories during the day with mindless nibbling, bingeing at lunch and dinner. They set themselves up for failure." Read more.

WHY EAT BREAKFAST?

"Why eat breakfast"? Some folks might say....

you should know, it's the most important meal of the day!

It provides nourishment, that every body needs....

and first thing in the morning, it brings you "up to speed"!

Try some fruit with your cereal, or even a piece of toast...

limiting sugar intake, would help your body the most!

 The experts all agree, what I say is not bogus.....

 you'll become a better learner, because it helps you focus!

If you wanna lose weight, please don't skip this meal...

just make healthier choices, and extra weight will peel!

Breakfast speeds-up your metabolism, more calories you'll burn....

you won't feel as sleepy, you'll be more ready to learn!

It helps you concentrate better, It's food for the brain....

your stomach won't growl, and extra energy you'll gain.

So when asked "why eat breakfast"?

no need to raise your voice....

variation and moderation,

seems like a logical choice!

Coach A

Visit Coach A's Blog!

DON'T SKIP LUNCH: A Fun Poem from Coach A

One way to keep lunches green and healthy, is the Laptop Lunch.  I personally LOVE the little dipping sauce container.  :) Read below for more information on this very eco-fab way to pack a fun and balanced lunch!

I received this email from our own wordy-wordsmith, sporty-coach, and friend, COACH A. His poetry blog is here. Coach A never ceases to amaze us with his fun and educational rhymes.  Kiddos, eating healthy means eating healthy food throughout the day, not just NOT eating.  Please eat lunch. 

Hi Kara... We are experiencing a trend with our students... where they are not having lunch. I'm just wondering how pervasive the problem is elsewhere. I came up with the following ...(perhaps worthy of your site)... to hopefully begin a dialog.



Hope all is well with you and yours...

DON'T SKIP LUNCH

Now "lunch" can be defined, as a mid-day snack...

You shouldn't be a skipping it, and that is a fact!

You have got to eat some food, and not just have a drink...

It puts you in the right mood, it's easier to think!

Now part of growing up, is to give your body fuel...

Cuz you are here to learn, it's what we do in school!

The 411 is out there, the facts they are well-known...

Learning is a breeze, when your stomach doesn't groan!

Now if you're short some money, or left home with no sack...

You should see your teacher, and know we've got your back!

Don't tell me you're not hungry, or you're trying to lose weight...

Just please, Don't Skip Lunch, and things will be just great!

Coach A

Laptop Lunch Boxes were created by two eco-conscious moms about seven years ago when the savvy pair realized that the best way to help parents pack wholesome, low-waste lunches was to "provide them with a lunch system that was not only convenient and economical, but also appealing to kids." Thus, the Laptop Lunch Box was born. Made of lead-free plastic, its unique design, reminiscent of a bento box, features single-serve individual containers, reusable utensils, a water or juice bottle and a handy carrying case.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/green-kids-lunch-44071008#ixzz0xNNF4wlq