 This year we are celebrating the 5th Annual Flash Mob! Have you joined Let’s Move! STL for the flash mob? If you love to dance and move your body, then this event is for you! Saint Louis Public School District (SLPS) students in elementary and middle grade levels continue to take steps to improve their health and combat obesity. The fifth annual Let’s Move! STL Move Your Body Flash Mob will take place to help them along their journey. The entire metropolitan community is invited to join in the Move Your Body fun on Friday May 3, 2019, at the Ford Plaza in Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals! Students at all SLPS elementary schools and select middle schools will join together for a synchronized dance routine. The event is sponsored by Let's Move! STL, the Healthy Schools Healthy Communities initiative, in partnership with SLPS, the City of St. Louis Department of Health, BJC School Outreach and Youth Development, COCA, -Center of Creative Arts, Aetna, a CVS business , and Saint Louis University’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. Last year’s flash mob was a huge success, with approximately 52,000 students, teachers, and community partners statewide spending the morning engaged in fun and physical activity. Students have been dusting off their dancing shoes from the four previous years and are ready to perform not one, not two, but three dance routines. They will perform Beyonce’s “Move Your Body” routine, the “Gimme 5” dance to Kidz Bop’s “Uptown Funk,” and the newly choreographed “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” routine, choreographed by advanced students from COCA. “Programs like Let's Move! STL and AIM for Fitness continue to help SLPS tackle the issue of childhood obesity with a focus on nutrition, physical activity and teaching students about the importance of embracing a healthy, active lifestyle. Each year brings exciting new ideas and fresh opportunities, as we continue to make progress and encourage healthy behavior change,” said Leanne White, project director for Saint Louis Public Schools. “The partnerships and collaborations that are budding out of these health-minded programs are very beneficial. Not only are they sustainable, but the collaborations are allowing for engagement of individuals from all levels, from those who are directly impacted by the programs to those who make the policies and final decisions about the programs. I truly feel it is a holistic approach,” said Erica Oliver, a community health partner with BJC School Outreach and Youth Development. Additionally, “Let’s Move! STL enjoys being a part of the growing interest for health and physical activity in the Saint Louis Public Schools,” said Lauren Landfried, the Let’s Move! STL Flash Mob coordinator for the City of St. Louis Department of Health. “The partnerships that have been created from this annual event continue to prove essential to making the St. Louis community healthier.”  For more information about the flash mob on May 3, 2019, the Healthy Schools Healthy Communities initiative or Let’s Move! STL, please contact:
M. Leanne White, Project Director – Saint Louis Public Schools Margaret.White@slps.org 314-345-4403 Lauren Landfried, Let’s Move! STL Flash Mob Coordinator – City of St. Louis Department of Health landfriedl@stlouis-mo.gov 314-657-1549 Erica Oliver, Community Health Partner – BJC School Outreach and Youth Development Erica.Oliver@bjc.org 314-286-0539 About Healthy Schools Healthy Communities Healthy Schools Healthy Communities (HSHC) empowers communities to build a healthier future for children and families across Missouri. An initiative of Missouri Foundation for Health, HSHC brings together schools, community organizations, businesses, parents, and residents to identify and push for changes that increase access to healthy food and physical activity where our kids live, learn and play. Saint Louis Public Schools and BJC School Outreach and Youth Development are co-leading the HSHC initiative in the City of St. Louis, currently targeting the Carr Square, Carondelet, Greater Ville, Forest Park Southeast, Shaw, Fountain Park, and Bevo Mill communities. About Let’s Move! STL Let’s Move! STL is a comprehensive initiative to combat and solve the challenge of obesity and diseases related to poor diet and fitness by leveraging community resources, coordinating partnerships and engaging the community towards the goal of zero obesity by 2020. The City of St. Louis Department of Health is the lead coordinating agency for Let’s Move! STL. About Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) Saint Louis Public Schools has been preparing students for a bright future since 1838. The District serves approximately 22,000 children in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. With nearly 70 schools and programs, including Magnet and Choice schools, SLPS has a school to fit every child’s needs. For more information about SLPS, visit the District’s website at www.slps.org or follow the District on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook. About BJC School Outreach and Youth Development BJC School Outreach and Youth Development, a division of BJC HealthCare, provides health prevention education and career exploration opportunities for students. It offers programs to equip young people with the information and skills they need to become health literate, increase academic performance and reduce high-risk behavior.
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 Ever wonder what the keys to unlocking a long life of happiness and good health are? Think blue. Blues Zones, studied by Dan Buettner and his team, are areas where people live the longest, healthiest, and some of the happiest lives in the world, unlike the American society that we live in today plagued by chronic disease. Many of these illnesses result from unhealthy lifestyles, and the American way of life and ideology often contribute to these diseases. We tend to value productivity and focus just on work, rather than on healthy behaviors and taking care of our bodies. Americans would benefit from taking the necessary time to relax and enjoy life. Relaxation leads to lower stress levels, stronger immune systems, and improves mental health status. Research conducted on other nations has found that not all populations are facing the high rates of chronic disease like the United States is. Dan Buettner teamed with National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging to identify the locations and lifestyle behaviors that seem to ensure the longest lives in the world. They found that people who live in Blue Zones reach the age of 100 at rates 10 times greater than in the United States. Buettner discovered 9 lifestyle characteristics, called the Power 9, that these areas have in common that lead to longer lives.  Sardinia, Italy is one of the first discovered Blue Zones. They still harvest much of their food, hunt, and fish. They eat a mostly plant-based diet, consisting of whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables, while enjoying red wine daily. Cannonau wine is the staple drink of the Sardinians that has 2-3 times the amount of flavonoids than other wines. Flavonoids are rich antioxidants found in foods such as wine, grapes, apples, blueberries, and many other plant foods. They also drink goat’s milk regularly. Aside from diet, other behaviors include walking five or more miles a day, laughing with friends, and valuing elders and family. Across the globe, in Okinawa, Japan, centenarians are actively roaming the island while enjoying sunshine, gardening, and walking. The area is one of the poorest, however it has with some of the happiest and healthiest people in the world. The citizens of Ikaria, Greece exercise by gardening and walking. They nap every afternoon, drink plenty of goat’s milk, eat a Mediterrian style diet, and value time with family and friends. In Loma Linda, California, people meditate, walk daily, eat plenty of nuts and seeds, practice moderation, and focus on giving back to the community. In Nicoya, Costa Rica, they keep a sense of purpose throughout each day, focus on family life, work hard, relish sunshine, and value traditions.  So what is it that each of these locations have in common? The Power 9 points out the intersecting behaviors in every zone.
Try incorporating the Power 9 into your everyday life. Here’s some tips: drink wine (in moderation), take a nap, spend time with family, learn to relax, and go for a walk. How great does that sound? The keys to living a longer and healthier life lie within some of the most enjoyable activities. Check out Dan Buettner’s work at https://www.bluezones.com/ or his TED talk here. |
AuthorKatie Gallagher, Archives
September 2019
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