Good health is more than just feeling well physically. Good mental health enhances our ability to enjoy life and to effectively deal with challenges.

Good mental health also allows us to handle day-to-day demands such as caring for ourselves and our families, maintaining friendships, working and participating in recreational or spiritual activities. It also helps us to manage the unexpected without “losing it.”

Although most Americans believe they have good mental health, issues and claims related to mental health and stress are increasingly a concern in American workplaces. In fact, a recent report identified work as the number one source of stress for Americans.

It’s important for you and your employer to address the stressors in your workplace because:

* Employees under stress are less motivated, productive and creative, and in time their mental health may be seriously eroded.
* Efficiency levels may drop and absenteeism may increase due to increased physical illness and/or depression and anxiety.
* Short- and long-term disability claims (and even premature deaths) may increase.

This article describes how you can identify the causes of your stress and then take control.

Identify the Causes of Your Stress
Are some of these common sources of workplace stress affecting you?

* work overload
* long hours
* inflexibility in your work schedule
* inability to make independent decisions
* conflicting job demands
* reporting to more than one supervisor
* strained relationships
* inadequate work space
* social isolation
* limited training or career development opportunities

Take Control of Your Stress
Are you in control? Find out by answering the following questions.

* What is your work/life balance score ? Are you becoming your job or do you have a good balance between work and play, self-care and care for others?
* Are you allowing workplace stress to be a habit, like a well-worn shoe? Much stress is habitual, but you can change that.
* Are your thoughts about work optimistic and positive or chronically pessimistic and negative? Most stress is caused by your perception of the situation, not the situation itself. Try taking a step back and reframing how you view a problem or issue.
* Can you distinguish among things that are truly under your control, things you can influence and things you have no control over? Are you putting your energy into the first two areas and avoiding stress caused by the third area (things you cannot control)?
* Can you see the humour in stressful situations? Being able to laugh at yourself is one indicator of positive mental health.
* Do you have a strong social network? The people who care about you can often help put things in perspective or help you find solutions to nagging concerns.
* Are you maintaining your mental and physical health by:
# seeking connections with something beyond yourself through nature, religion, books, music, art or service to others?
# including regular physical activity, good nutrition and relaxation techniques in your schedule?

Psychologists often recommend physical activity as a way to reduce feelings of depression or anxiety. (You feel good after being active because of the endorphins that are released in the brain.)

You can improve your mental health significantly by effectively managing workplace stress. Start by recognizing and acknowledging the sources of your stress. Then take charge of the things you can control or influence. For example, you might consider increasing the amount and regularity of your physical activity, which is a potent tool for improving both physical and mental health.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

Work-life balance is an indicator of health. Yet it seems that almost everyone has too much to do and not enough time to do it. Many things are constantly competing for our time and energy.

Making it all work smoothly is a co-operative venture involving you, your family and your employer. When the home front is taken care of, you are less distracted at work. When your work is managed well, you are happier at home. And when you have regular leisure time, just for you, you can recharge, thereby enriching your whole life.

This article describes some of the challenges involved in striking a balance in your life and suggests steps you and your employer can take to help achieve this elusive goal.

The Challenges of “Getting There”
Gone are the days of the stay-at-home mom whose family arrived home each day to the smell of freshly baked bread, an organized home and clean and pressed laundry, including sheets and underwear. In most families today, both parents work outside the home. Homemaking and caregiving responsibilities have been somewhat redistributed between men and women, although women still carry the lion’s share of domestic responsibilities.

Families have become smaller. Some couples are deferring having children or choosing not to have children at all. This means there are fewer people to do what needs to be done.

The population is aging. Because people are living longer, many who are nearing the traditional retirement age are staying in the workforce. But these are also the people who find themselves also caring for their elderly parents or other relatives.

The current significant labour shortage is increasing workloads forcing many people to take on multiple roles in their jobs. Our knowledge-based work world and global competition further increase the pressure, as workers must continue learning throughout their lives.

Clearly, it’s a challenge to achieve work-life balance in this environment.

Steps You Can Take
You won’t achieve a balance 100 per cent of the time, but you can certainly take some positive steps in the right direction.

Step 1: Write Down all the Roles You’re Juggling
Many people are not aware of how much they are asking of themselves. They don’t stop long enough to see the choices they’re making and the impact of these choices. Ask yourself some questions:

* Why am I doing this?
* When did I start doing this?
* Did I intend to keep doing this?
* Do I want to continue doing this?

Step 2: Determine What’s Most Important (Your Priorities)
How do you want to live your life? Women, especially, tend to put their families first. Ensure that you are taking time for personal care such as regular physical activity, which helps you stay healthy and provides a break from home and work responsibilities. When you take care of yourself, you have the energy to care for others and be effective at work.

Step 3: Use Your Priorities to Rearrange Your Life and Decide Where to Spend Your Time and Energy
Be realistic about how much of yourself you can give. Say “no” to less important tasks and activities, so you can say “yes” to what you really want (or need) to do. Decide where you can relax your standards to make your life easier.

Step 4: Give Yourself Permission to Make Necessary Changes
Can you share the workload at home and work more as a team?

Step 5: Just Do It, and Don’t Feel Guilty
Achieving balance requires compromise. For example, could you work four days a week and manage on a smaller paycheque in order to have more time at home? Decide what will work best for you, and then talk with your employer.

Steps Employers Can Take
Recent research indicates that employees believe work-life balance challenges are more significant at work. These challenges include heavy workloads and too many roles, which mean longer hours and perhaps more travel time. Employees see a need for:

* Developing work-life balance policies that are put into practice.
* More supportive managers.
* More employers who do their part to help employees achieve a better balance.

A work environment that supports work-life balance attracts and retains employees and promotes higher morale throughout the organization. When employees feel supported at work, they:

* perform better in their jobs
* have less stress and fewer absences
* have more positive attitudes

Supportive managers reap benefits too. Managers who communicate clearly, sincerely care about employees and offer flexible work hours when possible are rewarded with employees who trust them and genuinely try to do a great job.

Consider these ways of creating a more supportive work environment:

* Develop and implement supportive policies and ensure that managers implement them fairly.
* Increase employees’ sense of control. For example, can you give them more flexibility to decide when and where they work?
* Try to determine the root cause of troublesome workloads. Is it unrealistic expectations? Poor planning? Something else?
* Give employees the right to refuse overtime work.
* Provide a limited number of days of paid leave for child care, eldercare or dealing with other personal challenges.

Achieving a work-life balance is complex, but not impossible. The key is co-operation. If you, your family and your employer work together, you can do it.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

To hire and keep the best workers in today’s hot job market, employers need to be aware of their employees’ work environment.

Workplaces are now more aware of workplace health, partly because of the increased number of employees experiencing repetitive strain injuries. Rising health-care costs have prompted employers to design effective workplace health and wellness programs.

Ergonomics is a key factor in an organization’s health and safety program. Through training, workers can take responsibility for their own injury prevention.

Ergonomics: What Is It?
Simply stated, ergonomics involves fitting the task to the worker.

An effective ergonomics program in the workplace benefits the worker by:

* increasing comfort and job satisfaction
* improving productivity and morale

An ergonomics program benefits the employer by:

* improving injury prevention
* promoting early returns to work
* reducing absenteeism
* decreasing costs

How to Set Up an Ergonomics Program
Ergonomic programs educate workers about their jobs and help to identify risk factors that could lead to injury.

An effective ergonomic program may include:

* Training of all staff (managers, supervisors and employees) about basic ergonomics and hazard reporting procedures.
* Identifying hazards and how to report them.
* Effective disability management and return to work programs.
* Access to trained experts (e.g., nurses, ergonomists, occupational therapists, etc.).
* Access to ergonomic equipment (e.g., ergonomic mouse, palm/wrist rests).
* A process for evaluating the ergonomics program.

Tips for the Office Worker
How the workstation is set up and how workers sit can cause many of the difficulties workers face.

You can adjust the seat height and depth of most chairs on the market today. These adjustable chairs fit about 95% of the population.

When first using a chair, try it for at least three to four days. Ensure that your chair is adjusted properly, so that you’re as comfortable as possible.

Below are some common issues and ways to resolve them.

Incorrect chair height:

* Adjust your chair’s height to match standing knee height. Sit to the back of the chair and make sure that your feet are flat on the floor.

Incorrect chair depth:

* When you sit at the back of your chair, two or three fingers should fit between the back of your legs and the front of your chair.

Poor sitting posture:

* A slightly reclined position can relieve tension in your lower back. Adjust the chair tilt and lock in place. Sit toward the back of your chair and ensure that the natural curve in your back is supported. Adjust your armrests to achieve a relaxed arm position. Use armrests between (rather than during) typing sessions.

Lack of seat padding:

* Add or replace your seat cushion so that you have enough padding.

Prolonged sitting:

* Take coffee, lunch and micro-breaks throughout the workday. Change your position as often as possible.

Desk or keyboard is too high:

* Raise the height of your seat. Ensure that your feet are flat on the floor or on a foot rest. Use an adjustable keyboard tray so that your shoulders can relax.

Armrests are too high:

* Adjust your armrests’ height. If they are not adjustable, remove them.

Mouse and keyboard are on different levels:

* Make sure that your mouse is on the same level as your keyboard (that is, both are on the keyboard tray).

Looking back and forth from papers on your desk to the monitor:

* Try a copy/document holder. Position documents at the same height and distance as the monitor to avoid repeated neck movements.

Dual tasking (e.g., holding phone between ear and shoulder while typing):

* Try a head set.

Incorrect monitor height or distance:

* Ensure that your monitor is right in front of you. The line of vision should be about five to eight centimetres from the top of the screen. Position the monitor 45 to 76 centimetres (about the length of an arm) away.

Exercise Balls
One of the latest office trends has been to replace chairs with exercise balls. Although the balls improve core strength, there are drawbacks to using them instead of an office chair. Although balls are available in a variety of sizes, they are not adjustable and cannot accommodate all workers.

In addition, when they are not in use, the balls may roll around, which can be a tripping hazard. To get the most support, stability and adjustability from your office seating, use standard ergonomic office chairs. Consider potential ergonomic issues when you introduce any new equipment into the workplace.

Taking Stretch Breaks
Stretching and taking regular short breaks can help to prevent repetitive strain injuries. Generally, for continuous desk/computer work, one five-minute break per hour is recommended. Consult your health-care provider before beginning a stretching or exercise program.

Proper ergonomics are important for workers’ overall health and well-being. Following the basic ergonomic tips given in this article is easy. Workers will benefit both at work and in their home and leisure activities.

Other benefits include improved morale, better productivity and reduced rates of injury. Effective ergonomics programs are a win-win situation for both the worker and the employer.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

Many organizations recognize the need for a comprehensive strategy to help their employees be the best they can be. They also know that successful and sustainable wellness programs are much more than a few “lunch and learn” programs.

Your wellness program should include a wide range of key elements, including:

* A clear agenda or statement of goals.
* A plan characterized by passion.
* An effective leader who is creative and organized.
* A focus on short-term outcomes combined with an overall vision.
* A measurable strategy (what’s important gets measured!).
* A policy of celebrating and communicating success.

Planning Your Wellness Program
Plan carefully to ensure that your wellness program is seen as part of a broad commitment to maintaining the health and safety of all employees. Yes, creating a good plan takes a lot of effort and time (and sometimes resources). But planning is essential and well worth the investment required. As the saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.”

You might start by conducting a survey of employee needs and interests. If you take this route, pay attention to the results and plan accordingly. If you don’t, the employees will not support the program.

Collecting information about what you’re already offering is also a good idea. For example, you may be surprised by your company or organization’s current wellness and health policies.

Another important step is to establish an agenda and/or measurable goals to help you determine priorities, timelines and the resources required to launch the program. Be bold and creative in your planning, but also realistic.

Leadership
The leader of your wellness program must be able to wear many hats. The leader’s duties include:

* Developing a vision of the wellness program after receiving input from all interested employees.
* Communicating ideas and a rationale throughout the organization (to senior managers and fellow employees alike).
* Keeping others enthusiastic about and committed to a wellness program.
* Serving as a role model and wellness coach.
* Developing and maintaining leadership skills such as giving effective presentations and being well-organized.

Good leaders avoid becoming overwhelmed by overly ambitious and complex plans. You may want to stick to short-term goals at the beginning so that you get immediate and visible results. These first steps are the basis for a successful wellness program.

Good leaders involve as many people as possible in the program. For example, you’ll want to form a committee made up of a diverse group of employees to provide advice during the planning phase. This approach will:

* Help you to obtain valuable information from all parts of the company.
* Develop ambassadors who will help you implement the wellness program.

Keeping Score and Celebrating
Always keep in mind how you will monitor progress and evaluate the success of your wellness program. Evaluation allows you to:

* Identify areas of excellence.
* Identify factors that affect participation in your programs.
* Gain management’s support for your efforts (and maintain that support).
* Better understand issues that need attention.
* Learn from mistakes and change the program to keep it on the right track.

When you evaluate your program, you can measure such things as:

* Employee absences.
* Employee turnover rates.
* The cost of your employee assistance program.
* The cost of benefits, including short-term and long-term disability payments.
* The cost of your drug plan.
* WCB costs.
* Accident rates and safety records.
* Employees’ participation in wellness programs (and whether they’re staying in the programs).
* Changes in employees’ health habits.
* Level of employees’ awareness of healthy lifestyle issues.
* Results of your environmental wellness audit.
* Other noticeable changes in areas such as morale and job satisfaction.

A good communications plan provides ongoing information to employees (including senior managers) and fosters excitement about the wellness program. Positive reinforcement is part of an effective communications plan. For example, you might recognize people who have helped set up the program or offer tangible rewards for achieving goals.

Everyone needs to know whether employees are getting involved, enjoying the activities and getting some benefit from them. Showing that a wellness program has financial benefits is often an important factor in maintaining strong support from the top.

If you pay attention to the key elements of your wellness program and communicate openly and continuously while planning and delivering it, you will lay a solid foundation and leave a legacy that lasts.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

People spend almost 2,000 hours on the job each year. For many, work is literally a “home away from home.”

Given the time we spend behind the desk, the steering wheel or out in the field, the food and activity choices we make on the job can have a huge impact on our health and wellness. Healthy living can come to work. Planning is the key.

This article will help you shop for and prepare healthy meals at work and give you some ideas on ways to be more active during your workday.

Stock Up on Healthy Foods

* Create a small “stash” of non-perishable food you can keep in your desk, briefcase, vehicle or locker. This is food that you can snack on or use to round out a meal on the go.
* Examples of foods to stock up on include dried fruits (raisins, dried cranberries, dried apples or apricots), individual containers of canned fruit or applesauce, whole-grain crackers, mini-boxes of whole-grain cereal or trail mix.
* Replenish your entire “stash” at least once a month to ensure you always have a fresh supply of healthy foods on hand.
* Pack a water bottle. A lack of water can make it harder to concentrate and can affect your work performance. Keep a water bottle with you through the day. Avoid specialty coffees and teas and soft drinks. Instead, enjoy water with your workplace snacks and meals.

Make Your Brown Bag Meals Healthy Meals

* Packing your lunch or other meals can be better than buying them. When you pack your lunch, you can control the choices and the amount you eat.
* For example, for lunch you could bring a whole-wheat pita (grain product group) stuffed with shaved turkey (meat and alternative group) plus a baggie of raw vegetables (vegetable and fruit group) plus a container of low-fat yogourt (milk product group).
* Vary your choices each day to prevent boredom.
* Play it safe. Use insulated containers and ice packs to keep foods at safe temperatures.
* Put food that’s meant to be hot in containers that lock the heat in. Use ice packs to keep cold food icy cool.
* If possible, avoid eating at your desk. Desktops have been shown to harbour high levels of bacteria, which can pose a health risk. Enjoy lunch in the staff lunchroom or, weather permitting, head outside and do a picnic.

Make a Move

* Taking activity breaks through your workday can help to increase productivity and promote overall health and wellness.
* Enjoy stretch breaks. Step away from your desk, and take a minute or two to get the kinks out.
* Replace your coffee break with a walking break. Invite your co-workers to join you.
* Sign up for a cause. Form a team in your office and participate in a charity fun run or walk.
* Recruit a leader. Bring a fitness leader into your office to lead an aerobics, yoga or resistance training class. Share the costs among the participants.

Work is a big part of life for most adults. Take the healthy eating habits you practise at home on the job with you. Stock up on healthy snack foods, bring brown bag meals that pack a nutritional punch and make active living a priority in your workplace.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

Lately, you may have noticed large colourful balls decorating co-workers’ offices, or you may have one yourself.

Therapists and fitness gurus have used exercise balls for years to increase core strength and stability. Great for the gym and home exercise programs, the exercise ball is a wonderful option for any fitness routine.

Recently, these balls have been creeping into the workplace, claiming to be good for core strength and posture. Read further to understand the issues around using these balls at work.

This article gives you information about:

* Why sitting is bad for your back.
* Exercise balls: Busting some myths.
* The benefits of exercise balls.
* Safety issues.

Why Sitting Is Bad for Your Back
Many jobs require a lot of sitting, which isn’t the best thing for your back. In fact, sitting – even with good posture – puts more pressure on your back than standing.

This pressure is hard on your spinal column and nerves of your lower back. When we have poor posture, the pressure is even worse. We then place real strain on the ligaments of our lower backs.

Many muscles are involved in sitting. Back and abdominal muscles help us to bend and twist, but they also help to hold us upright. If these muscles are weak, it can be tricky holding a good sitting posture for a long time.

Sitting for long periods of time can also decrease blood flow to the muscles that are trying to hold us upright. Without good blood flow, our muscles can get tired.

Having tired muscles makes us more likely to slouch or sit with poor posture. This poor posture further decreases blood flow, making muscles even more tired and increasing the strain on our back. So, the longer you sit, the worse the problem!

What’s the answer? Stand and move around. Getting off that chair is the best thing you can do for your muscles and lower back.

Exercise Balls: Busting Some Myths
Myth 1: You Should Sit for a Long Time on the Ball
In fact, research has shown that sitting on the ball increases the pressure on your back, more so than sitting on a stool. So, sitting a long time on the ball may lead to greater discomfort in your lower back.

Myth 2: Sitting on an Exercise Ball Will Fix Your Posture
No matter where you sit, you should always check your posture. You’re just as likely to slump sitting on a ball as you are in a chair.
In fact, slumping on the ball is even worse, as you don’t have lower back support as you do with a chair.

An office chair that fits you properly,and gives your lower back support is best for your posture during long sitting sessions.

Myth 3: Simply Sitting Is not a Good Core Workout
Research has shown that the amount your muscles work while you sit on a ball is not much different than when you sit on a stool.

The key to getting your core muscles working and increasing their strength is to try “active sitting.” Active sitting is sitting with “super-powered” posture.

Try it:

* Put your feet flat on the floor.
* Sit as tall as you can.
* Straighten your back.
* Puff out your chest.
* Pull in your chin slightly.
* Push your shoulders down.
* Move your shoulder blades closer together.

Notice how your body feels. Can you feel all the different muscles working?

Sitting this way means that you’re working your muscles, no matter where you’re sitting. The more you practise active sitting, the easier it will become.

The Benefits of Exercise Balls
You can still make the exercise ball work for you by challenging your muscles in an unstable environment.

When you use the ball, treat that time as a short training session. Sit on the ball at home or at work during your coffee break, downtime, or when you’re doing tasks that don’t require too much attention.

Here’s an exercise to try on your ball:

* Sit on your exercise ball in the active sitting position. Now try with your feet closer together … it’s harder, isn’t it?
* Lift one foot off the ground slightly and hold out your arms for balance or hang on to a nearby table.
* See how long you can hold this position. The key is to keep actively sitting. If you lose your good posture, stop and try again. Try this exercise with each leg five times.
* While you’re still actively sitting, slowly move the ball forward and backward, or side to side, or in circles with just your hips.
* Notice that your muscles have to work to help keep your great posture.

Maintaining good posture is key in this exercise. Your muscles will eventually get tired. You’ll find it harder to hold the active sitting position. Take a break, and try again later in the day or the next day.

There are many other excellent exercises you can do with your ball to improve the strength of your core muscles. Ask your local fitness leader for suggestions.

Safety Issues
So, you’d like to sit on an exercise ball at work? Keep in mind some safety issues.

The ball isn’t for everyone. The ball isn’t the best choice for you if you:

* Suffer from balance issues.
* Have osteoporosis.
* Already have lower back pain.

If you have any of the issues above, talk with your physician or therapist before sitting on the exercise ball.

Check out your office space. Do you have space for a ball and a chair?

You still need to have a good chair to use for most of your workday. Do you have a space to tuck the ball away, so it’s not in your way?

The ball can very easily become a safety hazard if you’re constantly stepping over or around it. Talk to your manager or supervisor. Perhaps there’s a place you can keep your ball when you’re not using it.

Make sure your ball is burst resistant. Double-check by reading the box, or ask the salesperson for help if you’re not sure.

Finally, make sure you have the right size ball. Your knees should be at a right (90 degree) angle when you sit on it. Sitting on too small or too large a ball may affect your balance and your ability to sit safely.

The exercise ball isn’t a magical cure to improve your posture and muscle strength at work.

To help control your posture, sit on an office chair with good lower back support most of the time.

Use exercise balls only for short sessions during your day. Remember to treat this time as a posture-training session.

Sit on the ball when you can easily focus on challenging yourself and maintaining good posture, such as during breaks.

The bottom line: The best thing you can do for your lower back is to get up and move away from your desk.

Stand, walk and stretch. Try reading from your monitor while standing. Stand up if you are chatting on the phone. Go for a walking meeting.

Add more movement to your workday to keep your back happy and healthy.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

When kids receive the same messages about healthy eating at school and at home, they learn that nutrition is important. Plan now to promote healthy eating by

* making sure your kids take healthy snacks and lunches to school;
* helping your school set an example by selling healthy food;
* using fundraising activities, school celebrations, and non-food class rewards as chances to model healthy eating behaviours.

Healthy Lunches Made Here!

Making sure your kids have a good breakfast and sending them to school with healthy food for the day can help their learning, concentration, and energy levels. A healthy diet can also fight childhood obesity. Make healthy lunches a priority in your house by following these simple guidelines.

* Plan healthy lunches, and involve your kids in making them. Ask older children to make their own lunches from a choice of healthy foods.
* Ensure that lunches include three of the four food groups, and that snacks include two food groups.
* Choose the following food types more often: whole grains, dark green and orange vegetables, orange fruit, lower fat dairy products, and leaner sources of protein. A whole-grain tortilla wrap filled with low-fat cream cheese, sliced orange sweet pepper, baby spinach, and sliced turkey breast (along with an orange) includes all of these healthy food types in your child’s lunch!
* Encourage your kids to drink lots of water throughout the day.
* Be aware of school guidelines about food allergies such as peanuts.

Sold! On Healthy Eating in Schools

Children eat a lunch that includes choices from all four food groups. Adolescents make 78% of their vending machine purchases at school. Of these purchases, 64% include a beverage, 32% include candy or gum, and 26% include salty snacks.

How can a parent affect the school’s policy on food and nutrition? The first step is to get involved.

* Know what choices are available for your kids.
* Organize a committee of the parent advisory council to address any concerns.
* Talk to the principal, and work with school staff to improve the variety and availability of healthy food.
* Take a look at all the places where food is sold, including vending machines, the school store, and community sources.
* Consider giving your school a “food makeover” (see pages 36 to 41 of the SummerActive School Resource Guide described in the LEARN MORE section).

Special Event…Special Food

“If you clean your room, we can go and get ice cream!” Although there is always room for the occasional treat, parents and schools should try to reward good behaviour in ways that also promote healthy eating.

* Fundraising. Instead of the classic chocolate almond box, try selling cookbooks full of healthy recipes or cases of fruit at a bulk discount. You might also hold activity-based fundraisers such as a fun run or a skipathon.
* Student incentives. Instead of gummi bears and jelly beans, reward students with non-food rewards such as stickers, yo-yos, pencils, tennis balls, hacky sacks, or skipping ropes.
* Special events. Promote healthy eating at parent council meetings, staff meetings, and parent-teacher nights. Replace doughnuts and coffee with fruit and vegetable trays, water, and 100% juice.

School Nutrition Is Important

Parents, teachers, and students can work together to develop a policy on healthy eating at school without sacrificing variety and choice. Snacks and lunches packed at home, food sold and served at school, and special events all offer opportunities to encourage healthy eating.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

Think about it. Not only do your kids spend about 1,150 hours a year at school, but childhood is the best time to make healthy choices a habit.

It only makes sense, then, to involve everyone in the school community (students, teachers, parents, and community members) in promoting healthy eating, physical activity, and mental health.

This article describes what a healthy school community is, gives you information about the benefits of improved health, and suggests ways for you to help promote a healthy school community.

What Is a Healthy School Community?

In a healthy school community, everyone is a partner, including students, teachers, parents, and community members. Involving all of these partners in health means that the school community can affect the health of parents, grandparents, and other family members as well as the health of students.

Your child receives the same health message whether he or she is at home, in school, or in the community. Kids also learn ways to stay healthy (especially through physical activity, healthy eating, and good mental health) and how to make good decisions about their health.

Healthy school communities also offer

• lots of health promotion (schools that do a really good job of promoting health may be called comprehensive school health (CSH) schools);
• health policies or guidelines, e.g., healthy eating guidelines to control what is sold in school stores and vending machines;
• a wellness-focused curriculum in the classroom; and
• a supportive social environment and school culture that promotes physical and emotional well being for students, staff, and parents.

It doesn’t take a lot to create a healthier school. Some changes include

• scheduling more physical education and physical activity;
• offering healthy lunches or healthy foods for sale in school cafeterias;
• banning the sale of soft drinks and increasing water and 100% juice sales;
• providing healthy eating and active living education;
• involving parents and community members in school activities; and
• offering training for school staff on how to develop a healthy school community.

Why Promote this Kind of School?

Schools can promote both learning and healthy living. Consider these facts:

• 95% of young people are enrolled in schools;
• schools have always promoted physical activity, healthy eating, and positive social behaviour (so schools are not taking on new responsibilities);
• well planned school programs can promote physical activity, healthy eating, mental health (e.g., by reducing bullying), and reducing TV viewing time.
• physical activity (including physical education and other types of activity) andhealthy eating programs can lead to better academic performance;
• healthy children and youth are better able to learn, live, work, and play.

What Can You Do?

You can help your children’s school become a healthy school. For starters, ask some of these questions at your parent advisory council.

How does our school community support health promotion through its policies, student learning, and supportive environments?

Are all partners involved (students, parents, staff, community members)?

Are our kids getting the same messages about health at home, at school, and in the community?

A healthy school community involves all partners and sends children the same message in the home, school, and community. Children who attend a healthy school can make informed, healthy decisions that affect their own lives and the lives of their families. As a parent, you can certainly play an active role in promoting a healthy school community.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

As a parent, you may have heard the term “daily physical activity” or “DPA.” This article will give you:

* More information about what daily physical activity means.
* Why it’s important.
* How it can work in your child’s school.
* How to support your school’s efforts to encourage kids to be more physically active in school.

What Daily Physical Activity Means

Daily physical activity requires all students in Grades 1 to 9 to be physically active for at least 30 minutes daily in activities organized by the school. One of the goals of DPA is to help students develop active, healthy lifestyles.
Daily physical activity should:

* Include different activities (of different intensities).
* Consider each student’s ability.
* Use resources within the school and the larger community.
* Allow students to have a choice in the physical activities offered.

Why Daily Physical Activity is Important

America’s Physical Activity Guides for children and youth recommend at least 90 minutes a day of physical activity. Being active for 30 minutes a day at school covers a third of the activity kids need. (The remaining 60 minutes can be logged at home or in the community in either organized activity or free play time.)
Active children are more likely to:

* Feel better about themselves and their physical ability (and cope better with stress).
* Do better in math, reading and memorization.
* Be more creative and ready to learn.

Children who have participated in physical education during the school day are also more likely to be active in their leisure time.

How Daily Physical Activity Can Work in Your Schools

Many schools find that daily physical activity works best when it’s a scheduled event each day. It’s also a good idea to make daily physical activity part of a comprehensive plan that includes healthy food choices and education about physical activity and healthy eating and should involve both the home and community.

Each school can implement daily physical activity in ways that meet its unique needs. Below are two examples of ways to implement daily physical activity.

* Middle School (Grades 6 to 8). Children have physical education every other day for 51 minutes. On days when physical education is not scheduled, students do 30 minutes of activity around the school; such as activity stations created in hallways, foyers, classrooms that students circulate through over a 30-minute period. A committee of students helps to decide the activities and also helps to set up and take down equipment.
* Elementary (Kindergarten to Grade 6). Teachers are provided with activity kits to use with the class outside. Children have physical education every day for 35 minutes. A lead teacher demonstrates activities at each staff meeting. Parent volunteers help to create colour-coded lesson plan cards from the lead teacher’s activities that are distributed to all staff who teach physical education.

How You Can Support Daily Physical Activity

Physical activity helps kids to learn better and stay healthy at school, in the community and at home. As a parent, you can support daily physical activity by encouraging effective daily physical activity at your child’s school and by being active at home. You can support daily physical activity in the following ways:

* Ask your school principal how daily physical activity works in your child’s school and encourage your child to participate in activities organized through the school.
* Encourage the parent council to support daily physical activity by helping to provide equipment, resources and professional development.
* Encourage communication of information about physical activity to parents and families.
* Complete the daily physical activity triangle (home, school, community) by being physically active yourself and being active with your kids at home and in the community.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

When you went to school, chances are you took physical education, although you probably just called it “gym.”

This article explains some of the differences between physical activity and physical education. It outlines the different benefits each provides and helps you understand your role as a parent in supporting physical activity and physical education in your child’s school.

What are Physical Activity and Physical Education?
Is there a difference between physical activity and physical education? You bet! To start with, quality physical education always includes physical activity, but the reverse isn’t always true.

Physical activity is any movement of the body that expends energy. For example, a spin class at your local fitness centre is physical activity.

Physical education is an important part of the school curriculum. It’s designed to help children and youth develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be active and healthy for life. A child in a quality physical education class develops an understanding of physical movement, called “physical literacy,” that leads to lifelong, healthy, active behaviours.

The Alberta curriculum identifies four general outcomes for physical education (the ABCDs):
A: Activity
B: Benefits health
C: Co-operation
D: Do it daily … for life!

These outcomes are all connected. They are achieved through involvement in physical activity, which is the main building block of physical education.

What Are the Benefits?
Physical activity can lead to:

* higher levels of personal fitness and health
* a feeling of belonging
* appreciating a wide variety of activities
* lifelong participation

Physical education can lead to:

* Developing a personal level of fitness that supports active living.
* Developing basic skills that support participation in a wide variety of physical activities.
* Establishing lifelong habits of active living.

What Is My Role as a Parent?
Parents have a key role to play in supporting physical activity and physical education. Start by developing your own habits for lifelong participation in physical activity. Being active at home, at school and in the community sends kids a consistent message.

All Grade 1-9 students should have a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity a day at school. This can happen through physical education or through other physical activity opportunities provided by the school. And don’t forget that’s only part of it. To get their full 90 minutes of physical activity a day, children need to do a total of 60 more at home and in the community.

What you can do:

* Support the implementation of daily physical activity in the school community.
* Advocate for daily physical education as a worthwhile, important subject.
* Ask the administration and staff of the school about the quality and frequency of physical education.

Although physical activity and physical education are closely related, physical education goes beyond participation. It helps your kids develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to lead an active, healthy lifestyle.

Physical activity should be an integral part of your kid’s education as part of physical education. Try to ensure that the school devotes enough time and expertise to it. Ask your kids about their physical activity and physical education experiences in school and support healthy habits for life!

Source: HealthyAlberta.com