As fall temperatures dip, and this endemic, former COVID19 pandemic and flu season again make their presence known, I am reminded of two life maxims for this time of pumpkin spice and the holidays. Get your shots, and for even better year-round counsel, be wise, exercise.
The pandemic perhaps made the most lasting impacts on our youth, now even more tethered to their various technology devices, in the classroom as well as most aspects of their day to day lives, with a significant shift towards greater reliance and communication via those devices and various social media platforms, unfortunately paired with a more sedentary lifestyle. For the first time in nearly a century, the life projections for our children are now shorter than their parents (https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2023/american-life-expectancy-dropping/).
Not only is life expectancy declining, but the U.S. is falling behind our peer western nations, as obesity, chronic illness and early age heart disease and cancers are now also claiming young adult lives at alarming rates.
A landmark study in Australia, published by The British Journal of Sports Medicine identified the perhaps most obvious, low cost solution...regular activity and exercise, which the data shows to be 1.5 times more effective in treating anxiety, depression and the many related conditions of teen angst than pharmaceuticals or even more traditional talk therapy. These researchers clearly recommend regular physical activity as 'first choice treatment.' (https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2023/exercise-more-effective-than-medicines-to-manage-mental-health/)
Enter into this expanding physical and mental health decline and crisis, parent, cool mom, issues activist and entrepreneur, Jennifer Owens, also a mother of two daughters and a civic leader as well as member of the Brookhaven City Council. Ms. Owens believes that not only are all kinds of physical activity simply good for you, but they offer a great way to strengthen relationships and increase happiness and self-esteem, as well, while building muscle mass and better cardiovascular health.
Ms. Owens leads a nonprofit, HealthMPowers, with an incredibly straightforward and simple mission statement - "We champion healthy habits and transform the environments where children live, learn and play."
Good nutrition and a healthy diet also play a significant role, but as Physical Education and Recess begin to take a back seat, absent extra-curricular activities and sport at the high school level, HealthMPowers is intervening and serving as a powerful catalyst at both elementary and middle school levels, building life patterns of healthy habits, much like strong muscle tissue, early on.
Founded in 2000, and originally housed in donated space at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the enterprise was founded by two community leaders and 6 educators developing evidence-based, "fun and active" programming, especially aimed at improving the health of young women.
By 2007, HMP became an official SNAP-Ed implementing organization, in partnership with the state of Georgia and the USDA. HMP then shifted its initial approach from training educators and students to building active multi-year partnerships with schools, schools systems and sponsors to transform traditional educational settings into healthier more active learning and living environments.
Schools and thousands of young female students in DeKalb, Gwinnett and Henry Counties and spots all across Georgia are now receiving multiple positive benefits and impacts of very simply leading more active lives. The HealthMPowers Report Card for 2024 is both inspiring and impressive -https://hmp-impact-report.my.canva.site/healthmpowers-2024-impact-report.
So, for your short list of New Year's Resolutions, I recommend you perhaps seriously consider simply being like Jennifer Owens. If building out a fitness and health nonprofit sounds overly ambitious, then simply start walking daily, and inviting your children along, particularly those sometimes grouchy and resistant tweens and teens. Help your children or perhaps grandchildren in building healthy new life habits before poor choices begin to solidify and do long term damage. Suggest to your local PTA or even a group of HomeSchool families the many benefits of a fitness program, or even onsite consultation by HealthMPowers.
As a father of two loving daughters, I can easily attest to the benefits of long drives, occasional hikes and walks on the beach as well as various multi-use trails throughout the years, with giving me some of the best insights I have ever had into the day to day of their lives, without feeling like I was prying.
Can you think of a better easy win than becoming a better friend to your children or grandchildren? I can't...so be wise, move around, have some fun, get outside...it is all exercise. I assure you, you will be more than glad that you did. And while you are doing good, you may also be improving YOUR OWN mental and physical health. And who doesn’t love a good BOGO during the holidays?
