Make a Positive Start
 
Starting a new year well takes energy. And a healthy new year starts with positive energy.
As study after study has concluded, using that energy has a big impact on our overall health and well being. For example, exercise has proven to be virtually as effective as medication in treating depression. Add to that the comprehensive improvement in health and mindset that results from exercise, and it's clearly a win-win.
This positive mind-body connection is also critical for children, and plays a key role in their education. The Healthy Highway curriculum featured in this issue encourages students to think of their bodies as "engines," and builds awareness of good "fuel" to put into that engine and healthy habits that maintain it.
So fire up your engine, and launch into a positive start for 2011!
Martha Harris
President/Founder
Michael Cordier
Vice President/Founder
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Positive Energy Tips for Your New Year
Make this year truly new by injecting some positive energy into your life. Health and wellness is a lifelong project!
- Make a plan and stick to it. Good habits start with good ideas.
- Use exercise to boost your brainpower.
- Develop a positive relationship with healthy food -- and try something new!
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Challenging Students to Walk and Run
The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation encourages, educates, inspires and motivates children worldwide to adopt life-long habits for a healthy lifestyle, to expand their knowledge of the world, and to pursue their goals and dreams.
P.A.C.E. stands for "Promoting Active Children Everywhere," which is what this non-profit organization aims to do through its unique efforts. Its primary tool for promoting active children is the annual "P.A.C.E. Trek" journeys, which allow children to virtually run and walk with ultra-endurance athlete Paul Staso as he treks solo across states and countries, teaching and motivating via an online classroom.
Staso is currently planning a solo run across the Mojave Desert, beginning April 14. Find out more about how you can become involved!
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Greetings!
Welcome to the Fizika Group newsletter! We invite you to become engaged in a community of teachers, administrators, health professionals and parents seeking new solutions for truly effective health and physical education programs, and tools for maintaining wellness at any age. |
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On the Highway to Health
 | | Wendy Cooper of Healthy Highway. |
It started as a simple idea: use traffic signs to
teach safety to elementary students. The concept, developed by PE teacher Wendy Cooper and reinforced by daily experience, soon sparked children's and teachers' imaginations -- and
Healthy Highway was born.
"Children love to think of their bodies as 'engines,' and putting 'good fuels' in their engines is more exciting than 'healthy eating,'" Cooper explains.
Healthy Highway aims to improve children's health through educationally sound concepts and imagination, focusing on nutrition and exercise.
The program's strength is its adaptability. "Teachers can 'fuel inject' any lesson using Healthy Highway content," says Cooper. She describes exciting successes in her own school: the cafeteria director creating signs and lines on the floor for students "driving up" to eat, and the school nurse using "healthy tips for the road."
"Children love to think of their bodies as 'engines,'
and putting 'good fuels' in their engines is more exciting
than 'healthy eating.'"
"We're helping schools accomplish what they are being asked to do," says Cooper-to incorporate physical activity and wellness into the whole school day. In one pilot school, "Second Grade Chefs" wrote recipes for healthy snacks (a directional writing assignment), made the snacks and then invited other students to taste them. The chefs even wrote persuasive pieces about why their friends should try their creations!
Based on her own experience "in the trenches," Cooper is excited about the opportunities Healthy Highway presents to teachers. "Children embrace it fully, and are proud of the healthy choices they are making."
Learn more about the road to better health for your students! |
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Fizika on the Move
Fizika Group is pleased to welcome John Saville as Senior Manager of Business Development. John brings 30 years of sales and entrepreneurial experience to Fizika.
Pursuing a lifelong interest in fitness has been the focus of his business development, first as manager of fitness programming for several chains of clubs in Canada, then in developing the Canadian market for Microfit, a leading fitness evaluation company, and co-founding IntroFit, a marketing company that helps Canadian fitness clubs attract new members through innovative direct marketing. In 1993 John was recruited to head up the sales team for HealthFirst, an emerging fitness technology company in Albuquerque, N.M. During his time at HealthFirst he helped lead the company to tremendous success and positioned it for acquisition by Polar Electro, the world's leader in heart rate monitor technology. During his exceptional career at Polar, John's many accomplishments included winning the prestigious President's Award as top salesperson in his first year and promotion to Director of Business to Business Sales the following year. Ultimately appointed Director of International Sales, he successfully led the development of Polar's fitness assessment technology on the international market.
Fizika On The Road
Fizika will join a Trade Mission to South Africa February 23 to March 3, organized by the Governor's Council of Great Lakes states. Fizika will represent four of our partner companies, with the goal of identifying distribution channels and influencing new PE policies for curriculum. Target markets include health education, sport, fitness, wellness and physical activity, with meetings to be held in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
Fizika Group and its partners will conduct professional development workshops in early 2011 focusing on excellence in PE programming. Find out more about these exciting training opportunities. |
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E-Commerce Store Coming Soon!
Fizika will soon be launching its
e-commerce store -- your one-stop shop for Positive Energy Solutions.
Fizika is a comprehensive provider of innovative and effective tools and resources for health, wellness
and physical education professionals. |
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