#4 Exercise is great because...

it improves METABOLISM! Exercise will boost your metabolism. This means that your muscles and cells will use more calories when you are resting. Instead of storing calories as fat, you use them as fuel. Exercise increases insulin sensitivity, which allows your body to easily transport sugar out of the blood stream into places they should go for energy, growth, and maintenance!

Push-Ups

To assess upper body strength, 3rd-5th grade students complete a strict push-up test. To get credit for 1 correct push-up, students must stay with a precise tempo (as you can hear in the videos), lower their chest several inches from the ground, keep their entire body firm and in alignment (no swaying the back or arching it), and stay only on their hands and toes. When done properly, push-ups are wonderful for strengthening the muscles of the upper body.

Muscles involved in a push-up: pectorals (chest muscles), deltoids (shoulder muscles), triceps (muscles opposite the biceps/back of middle arm), lats (upper back), and core (abs, lower back, hips)

K-2 Throwing Skills

Currently in PE, K-2 students are learning proper throwing mechanics (in regards to throwing a baseball or softball). Yarn balls are used to ensure safety amongst the students. In the video/picture below, the students are participating in "Garbage Ball." Their goal is to throw their garbage (yarn balls) over the fence (the half court line) into their neighbor's yard, attempting to knock down their neighbor's flowers (bowling pins). Students learned the following about throwing:
1. Turn sideways pointing your opposite shoulder at your target, while raising the ball up and behind you
2. Stepping with the front or opposite foot
3. Rotate or twist your core
4. Throw and follow through

Obstacle Course!

One of our favorite workouts at the K-2 grade level is the obstacle course. Obstacle courses are designed by Mr. Recker and they include a variety of challenges for the students. Running, jumping, crawling, shuffling, dodging, and balancing are common motor skills that the students must display as they make it through the course.

Apples

The winning long rope team of 5th graders (see post below) recently enjoyed a fresh apple from Open Harvest. Fresh apples contain powerful nutrients such as quercetin and vitamin C. Research has shown these nutrients improve immunity, metabolism, nerve protection, and sinus support. They are powerful antioxidants that protect the body's cells from damage. There are many delicious apple varieties available including fuji, gala, braeburn, cameo, red delicious, golden delicious, granny smith, honey crisp, etc. Each presents a unique flavor and texture. All are nutritious! Try to select apples that are ripe and undamaged (look and feel for bruises).

The 5th graders below enjoyed gala, cameo, and braeburn apples.

Long Rope

Last week 3rd-5th grade students competed in a "long rope" competition. The goal was for each class to run over the rope as many times as they could in two minutes. Timing, quickness, and coordination are all required to be successful. Below is the winning 5th grade class. They were able to run over the rope 16 times. As a reward for their victory, Mr. Recker brought them fresh apples (see the post above).

Awesome Trail Mix

There is a delicious trail mix recipe I have to share with everyone. It's called the "Sweet and Salty Primal Trail Mix" and it features a combination of nuts, seeds, spices, and honey. The recipe is courtesy of Mark Sisson of Mark's Daily Apple. A picture of my final concoction along with the recipe are listed below. Try it out. It is simply the best trail mix I've ever had, and quite nutritious!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup each raw walnuts, almonds, and pecans
• 1/2 cup each raw pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup or less raw honey
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roughly chop nuts and mix with seeds, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread on a cookie sheet or rimmed baking pan lined with parchment paper, and sprinkle with half of the salt.

Toast in the oven for 2-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to be sure the nuts and seeds are merely toasted, not burned (keep a watchful eye).

Take pan out of the oven and let cool, then add the remaining salt and drizzle the honey over the top. Toast in oven for another 5 minutes, stirring often (I keep my oven cracked for this). Remove from oven, mix thoroughly with apricots and cranberries and let cool. It will be clumpy and sticky like granola when done. You should end up with 12- 14 quarter-cup servings (approximately).

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sweet-and-salty-primal-trail-mix/

Medicine Ball Throw - 2nd Semester

As part of the "Rocket Fitness" program at SDA Elementary, 3rd-5th grade students participate in a medicine ball throw to test their upper body power. Power is a combination of strength and speed. The major muscles used in this test include the deltoids (shoulder muscles), pectorals (chest muscles), triceps (opposite the biceps), and core (abs, hips). Click play on the videos below to see some excellent examples of the medicine ball throw.

Rocket Workouts!

Over the past two weeks, students at SDA Elementary have been participating in some challenging, fun Rocket Workouts. A Rocket Workout is a session of exercise created by Mr. Recker. The workouts feature many types of movements and performance tasks that are designed to improve several aspects of fitness - speed, endurance, power, strength, etc. In the videos below, you will see a jump rope workout, interval training workouts, and a circuit training workout. Many of the workouts are designed around the principal of short intense bouts, followed by periods of rest or very low intensity movement. For example, doing a set of sprints or mat jumps for 60 seconds, followed by rest or walking for 60 seconds. There has been some great research done in regards to interval training. When comparing interval training with classical aerobic (cardio) training, interval training produced equal gains in aerobic capacity, while also increasing anaerobic capacity. Classic aerobic training only produced gains in aerobic capacity. And the great part about it, interval training can be done in 1/3 the time! Interval training also helps increase insulin sensitivity and muscle growth.

Check out the studies below if you'd like to read more about this.

http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/98/6/1985

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2375551/



And now for the videos. Watch SDA students improve their health as they perform some serious Rocket Workouts!

#3 Exercise is great because...

it STRENGHTENS YOUR HEART! The heart is the most important muscle in your body. If your heart is strong, it can pump blood throughout the body easier and better. Blood contains the oxygen, nutrients, and protective cells that keep our bodies alive and feeling well.

Children's Fitness Levels - 1998 to 2008

The University of Essex in England recently compared the fitness levels of 10 year-old students from 1998 to 2008. The groups of kids they compared had similar weight levels - so they weren't comparing a normal weight group with an obese weight group. Both groups contained low obesity rates. Researchers looked at speed and endurance tests in both groups of children. What did they find? Children from 1998 outperformed 95% of the children from 2008. The 2008 fitness results decreased significantly.

This study showed that just because you are at a normal body weight, it doesn't mean you are healthy. Body weight is simply one indicator of health. Regular exercise is another indicator of health. There are so many benefits to regular physical exercise. If you read the post above, you will learn the 3rd reason to include exercise in your life.

** Students at SDA Elementary are learning these reasons in class. As we discuss them, I post them to the blog for everyone to partake in this knowledge.