Key message: Aim for moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity for periods of time that add up to 60 minutes or more each day.

• Parents who believe their children may not be safe by themselves should join in the activities and be a role model for the children.
• Take a walk together in a local park, play catch or Frisbee® or watch as the child plays on the jungle gym or playground equipment.
• You don’t necessarily need to go to a gym to lift weights. Gotlin recommends using something as simple as cans of vegetables for weight training.
• Most importantly, have fun.
• Avoid serious competition that can lead to disappointment and failure.
• Children who see their parents having fun exercising will also enjoy the activity and are more likely to continue the exercise habit as they grow older.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the U.S. And physical inactivity doubles the risk. Start! walking and start reducing your risk. You can support the fight against heart disease by participating in National Start! Walking Day, Wednesday, April 16

• 2008 City of Lakes Loppet Event and Programming Initiative, $30,000 to support the 2008 event and incorporate a year-round program to educate youth and promote physical activity and involvement in the Tri-Loppet and Trail Loppet events for Minneapolis Public School Students. A project of the City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation.
• Fit Team for Kids, $30,000 for expansion of the Health Start School-Based Clinic comprehensive health and fitness program for low-income students at risk for obesity in three St. Paul high schools. A project of West-Side Community Health Services.
• Healthy Lifeways Project, $30,000 to utilize nutrition awareness and structured physical activity to reduce health disparities in American Indian youth. A project of Little Earth Residents Association.
• Bolder Options Health Habits Program, $30,000 to expand the Healthy Habits Mentoring Program to a satellite office at Dunwoody Institute to support North Minneapolis youth. A project of Bolder Options.
• Healthy Lifestyles for North Minneapolis Teens, $25,000 to expand health and wellness activities through the completion of a health assessment, referrals to a nutritionist, health educator or on-site clinic and by offering healthy food choices. A project of the Plymouth Christian Youth Center.
• Ready. Set. Action! Peer Education Model, $30,000 to develop a program by junior high/middle school students to educate elementary school students about healthy eating and exercise. A project of the Illusion Theater and School, Inc.
• Running Buddies Program, $20,000 to pair at-risk youth (ages 5-17) with adults to train and run 5K, 5-mile and trail races, including training plans, nutrition education, shoes, goal setting advice and relationship support. A project of Duluth Area Family YMCA.
• Strong Kids, $25,000 to provide a 12-week program for parents and children to develop a healthy approach to lifetime weight management. A program of the Marshall Area YMCA.
• SWITCH, $30,000 to implement the program in two Burnsville, Minn. elementary schools. SWITCH, designed to help communities, schools and families promote and choose healthy lifestyles, is a program of the National Institute on Media and the Family.

Here’s a satellite view of the maze:

Ashcombe Maze

Dubbed “Club 49″ after one of the classrooms it’s housed in, the two-room facility will initially be geared toward students who have room for improvement on the statewide physical fitness test - the so-called Fitnessgram. The test is designed to measure student performance in categories such as muscle strength, endurance, flexibility and aerobic capacity, the body’s ability to generate energy with the use of oxygen.

Results of the test are reported each year in grades five, seven and nine, and are based on students’ performance in six tasks: curl-ups, push-ups, trunk lifts, shoulder stretches, body composition, and a 1-mile run.

Of the school’s 418 seventh-graders tested in June, 30.4 percent passed all six of the fitness standards, while 0.7 percent of students achieved none of the standards, according to school documents.

In addition, 73.9 percent scored within or above what is deemed the healthy fitness zone - the level of fitness thought to offer protection against diseases that result from sedentary living - for muscle strength and endurance. In comparison, 59.1 percent of students scored in or above the zone for aerobic capacity.

“When we look at the state results for the physical fitness test, student cardiovascular strength is always an issue,” said Principal Brian Randall. “We designed the room to focus on that area.”

Because childhood obesity is a national epidemic, there’s no better place than local schools to educate students about eating healthy and staying fit, he said.

“Kids are not in the same kind of shape as they were 20 years ago,” said Gary Munn, the school’s athletic director and physical education department chair. “More and more students are leading sedentary lifestyles and that’s what we’re fighting.”

With both parents working these days, kids are left to the baby sitter of TV and video games, said Assistant Principal Jeff Moore. The new facility demonstrates that San Marcos Middle School is “truly interested in not only healthy brains, but healthy bodies,” Moore said.

The new facility falls in line with the district’s wellness policy, which promotes healthy students through nutrition education, food and beverage guidelines and physical activity.

“(Students) are developing habits now that are lifelong choices,” Randall said.

I particularly like the way information and data about their workout performance is given to the student, so that they can continue to learn and improve:

Students can track their progress on the elliptical machines and fitness cycles with technology usually found in health clubs, Randall said.

For example, on the elliptical machines, students will log into an interactive computer terminal with their identification number and use the same number to log into the machine they’re using. Fitlinxx, a computerized system that attaches to existing fitness equipment, tracks the workouts, allowing students to monitor their mileage, calories burned, watts, time and other data.

Charts and graphs on their progress can be viewed on one of six computers in the facility or via the Web at home.

Students can plug a flash drive, a small device that stores computer information, into the cycles and later download their workout progress. The stationary bikes have built-in Cycle Peaks exercise tracking software customized to be student-friendly, Randall said.

“We are such a data-driven society … people want proof,” said Moore. “This shows us that (positive) results are actually taking place.”

Once their cardio workout is completed, students can move into the core training area, where they’ll find what are referred to in the gym world as balance balls, yoga mats, light dumbbells and sit-up benches.

“It’s an opportunity for kids to experience something that most kids would have to pay for (at a gym),” said White.

1. Wii: Investing in a Wii could be one of the best things you do for your family, because it can keep people of all ages entertained for hours. Design your onscreen players to look just like you, and then join in for a game of baseball, bowling, tennis or any other sport you feel like playing. Even though you’ll be watching the TV screen, this interactive game requires players to move around while they bat, serve and more.

3. Bowling: Set up a game of bowling in your kitchen or hallway with everyday items you’ve got lying around the house. Plastic cups, cleaning supplies or even boots could be used as pins, and a good bouncy ball is a house-friendly substitute for a real bowling ball. Play for fun or teach your kids how to keep score.

6. Twister: This old-school game is still a kid favorite that will keep everyone squirming and giggling. It’s also a great game to take outdoors when the rain stops.

12. Scavenger Hunt: Create an indoor scavenger hunt by writing clues and planting items all over the house. Depending on how many kids there are, players can break up into teams or search on their own. Come up with a scoring system and award the winners with prizes.

The 5-2-1-0 program, implemented in the schools this year, teaches children to eat five vegetables and fruits a day, to limit screen time in front of a TV or computer to two hours or less, to participate in one hour of moderate to vigorous exercise and to drink no soda or sugar-sweetened sports and fruit drinks.

UPDATE: Some 5-2-1-0 resources here (under “Office Tools”)

Walking to school promotes health, physical activity, concern for the environment and safe and walkable communities. This year, join schools around the world as they celebrate walking during the month of October. Communities are encouraged to pick a day, a week, once a week or the entire month to celebrate. Actively promoting Walk to School for a month could also transition smoothly into the launch of a year-round program.

Examples of Walk to School activities:

• Designate “Walking Wednesdays” to encourage walking one day a week and potentially extend the event to a month or a year-long activity
• Develop walking themes for each day of the week: bright, highly visible colors day, “walking hat” day, bring a healthy lunch day, etc.
• Set up a competition with awards for the classes with the most walkers
• Offer an option to students who ride the bus or carpool to walk once they arrive at school.
• Organize a walking school bus from nearby neighborhoods. For information on how, visit www.walkingschoolbus.org
• Plan a school-wide event to recognize the day such as a picnic, an assembly, an awards ceremony or a pizza party for the class with the most walkers
• Fill the month with activities throughout the day that pertain to staying physically fit, eating healthy and caring for the environment.

See also Australian and UK examples of the Walking School Bus.