Current News & Information

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PE4life in the News   

Kansas City, Mo.—November 7, 2008—Star Trac®, the fastest growing commercial
fitness equipment company and PE4life, the nation’s leading advocate for quality health
and wellness based physical education programs, have teamed up to improve the health
and physical fitness of children across the country. Read more.

Kansas City, MO—November 20, 2008- Students at the PE4life Academy Training
Center at Woodland Elementary School took part in the 3rd annual World Sport Stacking
Association (WSSA) STACK UP! on Thursday, November 13th. Read more.

SPRINGDALE: Districts Land Grant Money for Program - October 16, 2008 - SPRINGDALE — Students from nine schools in three Northwest Arkansas districts will participate in a program aimed at boosting fitness and nutrition in schools nationwide. Read more.

GMA Lauded by ADA for Promoting Healthy Kids' Lifestyles - October 29, 2008 - The Grocery Manufacturers Association this week received the American Dietetic Association Foundation 2008 Corporate Award for its contribution and commitment to support the mission and vision of the foundation and for its role in promoting healthy lifestyles for schoolchildren and their families. Read more.

Boozman Tours PE4life Program - October 22, 2008 - BENTONVILLE - As a member of the U. S. Congress, Rep. John Boozman is responsible for helping solve the country's health-care crisis. One way to do that, he said, is to focus on preventing health problems before they start. Read more.

Kansas City PE4life Summit Post Event Press Release - Kansas City, MO – October 2, 2008 – Nearly 200 business, foundation, and school leaders interested in combining efforts to combat childhood obesity and inactivity among area students attended the PE4life Kansas City Summit: Connecting School Needs with Community Resources on Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas.  Throughout the day... Read more.

PEP Grant Resource Conference Post Event Press Release - Kansas City, MO – October 2, 2008 – Nearly 50 school districts, schools, and/ or organizations attended the 2nd annual PEP Grant Resource Conference on Friday, Sept. 19, at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas. This vast variety of attendees included both past and present PEP winners... Read more.

Physical Fitness for Every Child - September 28, 2008- Brad Cowger and the rest of the physical education staff in the Conway School District want to make sure every child's needs are met when it comes to physical fitness. In order to do this, a change in curriculum is a necessity and an application for a federal grant is in the works to help further that change... Read more.

Carol White Acknowledged at PEP Grant Conference - September 25, 2008 - OVERLAND PARK, KS -- Phil Lawler touched the hearts of the recipients of the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grants last week during the second annual PE4life PEP Grant Resource Conference at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City... Read more.

PE News and Videos

Gym Classes Aren't What They Used To Be - November 1, 2008 - When you hear the words "gym class," what do you picture? If it's a red rubber orb flying straight at your face during a game of dodgeball, you're dating yourself. In today's schools, physical education has changed drastically from the good ol' days. Read more.

New Center Boosts Student Fitness - October 27, 2008 - Moanalua High School's physical education students arrived on campus this year to an eye-catching treat: the school's new $300,000 fitness center. The center was built using funds from a two-year federal Carol White Physical Education Program grant, according to Moanalua High School Athletic Director Joel Kawachi. Construction began near the end of last school year and was completed over the summer. Read more. - 10/13/2008 - America is facing a crisis of pandemic proportions, some researchers argue, as childhood and adult obesity rates continues to rise.

Obesity Rates on the Rise Throughout County, State - According to a study by the Trust for America's Health, a non-profit, non-partisan organization which is dedicated to the prevention of diseases, adult obesity rose in 31 states with 22 states experiencing an increase for the second year in a row. New York finished at 40th. No state saw a decrease in its rates. Read more

Obesity 

TV Ads Contribute to Childhood Obesity, Economists Say - New York Times November 21, 2008 - Banning fast food advertisements from children’s television programs would reduce the number of overweight children in the U.S. by 18 percent and decrease the number of overweight teens by 14 percent, economists have estimated in a new study. Read more.

Five Tips for Parents to Prevent - or Prevail Over - Childhood Obesity - November 8, 2008 - In the last few decades, obesity has become a big problem among little people. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of obesity among children ages 6 to 11 reached 17 percent in 2006 — more than double 1980's level of 6.5 percent. Read more.

Childhood Diabetes Drug Use Doubes - November 3, 2008 - The use of medications for type-2 diabetes has more than doubled for children aged 5 to 19. That's the most startling result in a study of childhood medicines done at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Read more.

Stay Active all Year - October 17, 2008 - As the cold of another winter begins to set in, it is important for children and adults alike to remain as active as in the warm summer months when exercise and physical fitness come as a natural course of life. Read more.

Supersized P.E. : Ten Tips to Help Overweight Kids Get Healthy - SAN DIEGO, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Bags of Halloween candy are piled high in the grocery stores this week, providing a dangerous temptation for those battling obesity. For the parents of overweight children, getting their children to understand the dangers of overindulging after trick-or-treating can be even more difficult. Read more.

The Battle Against Obesity - San Clamente Times, October 13, 2008 - Mission Hospital launches local initiative for kids to ‘Play More. Eat Better.’ Sheila Gerardo, San Clemente mother of two, packs lunch in the morning each school day except for Pizza Day. It’s a once-a-month treat for her Las Palmas Elementary School kindergartner, who is otherwise instructed to avoid cafeteria food. Read more

KCPT’s Nick Haines, KC Area Taking In-Depth Look at “Generation XL” - KC Tribune, August 19, 2008 - America has seen the “Lost Generation” of disoriented youth following World War I, the “Beat Generation” of would-be poets in the 1950s , and the “Baby Boom” generation that began to grow up in the 1960s. But we now have, for the first time, a generation whose distinguishing characteristic is its waistline—“Generation XL.” Read more

Exercise and the Brain

PE4life Featured in New Book- SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by Dr. John Ratey
SPARK features PE4life and highlights academic improvements at PE4life Academies in Titusville, PA and the Naperville, IL 203 District. You'll hear about pioneering PE4lifers Phil Lawler, Paul Zientarski, and Tim McCord in this new book. SPARK is available for purchase in the PE4life Pro Shop. Visit Dr. Ratey's website. To learn more about booking Dr. Ratey for a speaking engagment, please contact Shanna Goodman at sgoodman@pe4life.org.  

Additional exercise and the brain resources:
Wanna Boost Kids' Grades? Get them Moving! - MSNBC, August 18, 2008 - Want to help your kids do better in school this fall? Get them moving. That’s the message from a growing field of research linking physical activity with better academic performance. Read more.
 

State Legislative News
California Task Force Report
Florida Law Requires Daily PE
Kentucky Gets Kids in Shape
Mississippi Makes Room for Exercise
Ohio Hopes for Daily PE