Looking back on your formative years, who were some of the most influential people in your lives? Obviously, parents and family rank at the top, but you might even have a few school teachers on your list. After all, you spent the majority of your weekdays with them. Many of the core values and lessons we learn through life can be traced back to our educators, what they taught us, and how they treated us. Which is why it’s important for today’s educators to be a leading example for their students on how to be healthy and fit.
By understanding and living a healthy lifestyle, educators can actually help their students grow into the powerful young leaders of tomorrow, while imparting the core values of health, fitness, life balance, perseverance, hard work, determination and respect. With this kind of foundation, children can reach their ultimate potentials in taking control of their health as they grow into their adult lives.
READ MORE: HEALTH & FITNESS IN THE AMERICAN SCHOOL SYSTEM
In a society where one-third of children in America are overweight or obese, teachers – in addition to parents – can be the key to making a change in children’s health and future. One of the keys to empowering teachers with knowledge on health is to educate them on healthy lifestyle and physical fitness, because the children look up to them as role models and leaders.
We cannot continue to allow our children remain obese or overweight as they grow up. It will directly impact the rate of illnesses such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, low self-esteem, asthma, depression, sleep apnea and social discrimination. Currently, more than 70 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. We are setting ourselves up for failure with every year that these statistics continue to worsen.
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