Middle School PE

Physical Activity
Did you know that exercise can actually make you happier? When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, the body’s “happy chemicals.” In fact, some studies show that exercise can be as effective as antidepressants for your mental health. Up your mood today with some movement!

Even if you’re not a Fortnight player, you’ve probably seen the memorable dances. Today, try some Fortnight dances like the Orange Justice or the Hype:
• Watch them: https://youtu.be/CMsYERluC5A (Time: 6:41)
• Learn them: https://youtu.be/e8ew_nFgx04 (Time: 12:18)

Let’s focus on building strength today by working on arms and abs with this 20-minute bodyweight workout – no equipment required!
• https://youtu.be/KtpbWUSiKec (Time: 20:40)

Feeling up to the challenge today? Do both the dance and the strength workouts! Post your dance to Tik Tok or Instagram and use the #healthykidsquarantined

Nutrition and Healthy Eating

Eating the rainbow ensures that you are getting a variety of fruits and vegetables that keep your body healthy and strong. But sometimes fresh food isn’t always an option. Frozen produce is usually less expensive and you don’t have to worry about spoiling before you get to eat it.

Here are some of the best and most nutritious options to eat the frozen rainbow:

• berries and cherries are much more affordable when you buy them frozen. Use them in smoothies, add them to your favorite yogurt, or as a snack straight from the freezer!

• green veggies, like broccoli, beans, edamame, or brussel sprouts are a great frozen option and are often easier to prepare than their fresh counterparts. Pop them in the microwave or sauté them for a nutritious side dish for dinner.

• cauliflower rice is a great substitute for white rice – it has the same texture and lots more health benefits. The frozen bagged option is inexpensive, easy, and long lasting.

• chopped onion is a cheap, easy, and convenient way to add quick flavor to recipes without the watery eyes and chopping!

• mixed veggies are an easy addition to lots of meals – steam them or use them in soups, stews, curries, stir-fries, slow-cooker meals, and even casseroles.

It’s the middle of April, but we have 1-3″ of snow in today’s forecast. No worries though. Take 30 minutes and have some fun, while you get a great workout with today’s physical activity post!

Physical Activity
Experts recommend that we get three days a week of exercise focused on aerobic activity that gets your heart pumping, three times a week we should include muscle strengthening exercises, and at least three days a week of bone-strengthening activities.

You don’t need weights to strengthen your arm muscles! Try this no-weight arm workout that’s designed to sculpt and shrink! It’s only five minutes – so run through it twice if you’re feeling up to the challenge.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTGBFlB1fEI (Time: 5 minutes)

Yellow — Now let’s bring your heart rate up even more with this fun Bollywood Dance Video!
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzob_Br-IWQ (Time:12 minutes)

Want to end your week with a challenge? Let’s do the arm workout and Bollywood fitness twice through! Remember, aim to be physically active for a total of 60-minutes each day!

Nutrition and Healthy Eating
Do you ever find yourself looking for a sweet treat? Today, let’s make a smoothie for an easy, healthy snack that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Try it out and share your creation by posting it online using #healthykidsquarantined!

Chocolate Berry Smoothie
· 1 ½ c. frozen or fresh berries (ex: raspberries or strawberries)
· 1 cup milk
· ¼ cup low-fat yogurt
· 4 tsp. chocolate cocoa powder
· ½ cup of ice

Instructions
Add ingredients to a blender and blend until very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl and adding more liquid, if needed. Enjoy this delicious frozen treat!

Physical Activity
Handout: Sun Salutation , Let’s go to the Ocean

Today’s KWIO yoga flow is called “Let’s go to the Ocean” – we’ll use ocean breathing and visualization combined with a yoga flow that will help with balance, coordination, and an awareness of how our bodies move.

• https://youtu.be/9oHy6wYvmBE (Time: 8:30)

A HIIT workout combines sets of exercise with shorter sets of rest. This HIIT workout is designed to not use any equipment. It’s quick – only eight minutes, so double up if you’re up to the challenge!

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1JutfnQ-Lg (Time: 9:12)

Feeling ambitious today? Try doing yoga and TWO rounds of the HIIT workout. Work up a sweat and keep your body strong and healthy!

Nutrition and Healthy Eating
You probably know that vitamins are important for your health, right? But do you know which vitamins you need, or which foods you should eat to get them? Let’s start at the beginning today with Vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for your overall health because it’s good for your vision, helps to strengthen your immune system, makes your bones strong, and even helps to prevent acne.

Try one of these foods to get your daily dose of Vitamin A:
• Sweet potato
• Kale, spinach, collard greens
• Squash
• Red peppers
• Cooked carrots
• Mango
• Cantaloupe
• Grapefruit
• Watermelon
• Salmon and Tuna

Physical Activity
Strength training, even using just your body weight, can help improve your overall fitness, and strengthen your muscles AND bones!

Workout of the Day (WOD)!
• Use this A-B-C exercise guide (with video demonstrations)
• Using the associated exercises, spell “INSPIRE”. Being inspired means that you have the urge or ability to do SOMETHING! Be inspired today!

Your ‘yellow’ challenge today is to extend the WOD:
• Use this A-B-C exercise guide:
• Using the associated exercises, spell “INSPIRATION!”

Today’s “red” activity involves challenging your friends to be physically active with you! On social media (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook), do 30 squats, and then challenge 5 of your friends to do it too! Use #healthykidsquarantined

Nutrition and Healthy Eating
Healthy Snack Hack: Banana Split
Bananas are a great fruit option that benefit our bodies in many ways – they give us energy, improves digestion (fiber), strengthens your bones (potassium), improves eyesight (vitamin A), and boosts your brain power!

Today’s we’ll use bananas to hack your snack! If you love a tasty banana split, you’ll love this healthier version. Share your banana creations by posting it online using #healthykidsquarantined!

Ingredients:
· ½ cup low fat yogurt
· 1 banana, cut in half lengthwise
· ¼ cup of granola or whole grain cereal
· ½ cup berries
Directions:

1. Place banana halves on a plate.
2. Top banana with yogurt.
3. Sprinkle granola and berries over yogurt and enjoy!
   

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Physical Activity

Handout: Star Yoga Flow

Today’s yoga, the Star Flow, from the Kids Work It Out program starts with a ‘count 5 breath’ which helps to bring oxygen all through your body. The yoga flow will focus on physical movements that are energizing and great for your posture.

• https://youtu.be/zCyvOn8qSMA (Time: 8:32)

For today’s cardio workout, we’re using Tabata. This workout is a fun way to work up a sweat!

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIeCMhNWFQQ (Time: 31:30)

Today’s “red” activity involves combining the yoga activity with the hip hop Tabata. The yoga helps to improve your flexibility and balance and the hip hop gets your heart pumping!

Nutrition and Healthy Eating

Wonderful Water!

Did you know that drinking enough water each day is good for your skin? When you make sure to drink enough water and stay hydrated you also keep your skin from becoming dry, tight and flakey.

But drinking water does not need to be boring! This week, try adding frozen berries instead of ice cubes to your water for a cold and tasty drink.

Berry Infused Water
• Fill one half of a pitcher with frozen berries (choose strawberries, blackberries, blueberries or a mix of any frozen berries you have on hand).
• Let sit for at least two hours
• Enjoy your cold and healthy drink!

Physical Activity

Happy Monday! Let’s start the week by learning a fun new dance. Today, try
the TikTok video “I’ve got muscles like Superman’s trainer” by Chance the
Rapper. Tag us in your TikTok video when you have it down!

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVLcZafAnpU (Time: 13:33)

•Let’s work on strengthening your core today – this quick cardio workout takes ten minutes but you’ll feel it! Try this “10-minute quick core workout” from Popsugar, and don’t skip the cool-down stretch at the end.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNEZKqopc2I(Time: 12:32)
Feeling up to the challenge today? Do both the dance and the core workouts!

Post your dance to Tik Tok or Instagram and use the #healthykidsquarantined

We should all aim to get 60-minutes of physical activity throughout the day. The good news is that smaller bouts of activity that add up to 60-minutes are just as beneficial as one longer one!

Nutrition and Healthy Eating
Do your parents ever ask you “what do you want for dinner?” Today, you should try to answer that question by planning a healthful dinner for your family! When we think of a meal according to the MyPlate guidelines, it reminds us that we should be eating fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy every day. Each of the food groups are represented in different sections of the plate. But, this doesn’t mean that foods need to be separated out on our plates! Some of our favorite healthy foods are a mix of food groups.

For today’s challenge, try to plan out more healthy meals for your family using this MyPlate Menu Planner! Need some inspiration? Visit this online Recipe Box for ideas! If you’re not sure about what food group some of your foods fall in, try using this guide.

Happy Monday! Let’s start the week by learning a fun new dance. Today, try
the TikTok video “I’ve got muscles like Superman’s trainer” by Chance the
Rapper. Tag us in your TikTok video when you have it down!
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVLcZafAnpU (Time: 13:33)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2Ct9HlDkEI&f Let’s work on strengthening your core today – this quiecakt uwreo=rky oouutut .obnel y takes
ten minutes but you’ll feel it! Try this “10-minute quick core workout” from
Popsugar, and don’t skip the cool-down stretch at the end.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNEZKqopc2I(Time: 12:32)
Feeling up to the challenge today? Do both the dance and the core workouts!
Post your dance to Tik Tok or Instagram and use the #healthykidsquarantined

It’s Friday! Let’s use the weekend to have a scavenger hunt. Here’s how it works:

1. Find the items in the list below and take a pic of each one.
2. Submit your pics as a response to the blog.
3. I will draw a random winner from all completed entries and you will receive a PE prize (once we are back in school).

Items to find:

1. Squirrel
2. Mail carrier
3. Person pushing a stroller
4. Cat or dog
5. Playground equipment (any piece)
6. Newspaper (dated 4/10, 4/11 or 4/12)
7. Street sign that contains the letter “S”
8. Bird
9. Bike
10. Police car

Physical Activity
Experts recommend that we get three days a week of exercise focused on aerobic activity that gets your heart pumping, three times a week we should include muscle strengthening exercises, and at least three days a week of bone-strengthening activities.

Let’s challenge our balance and core today and start off with this 10 Minute core workout from MadFit!
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIRQzn3w710 (Time: 10 minutes)

Yellow — Now let’s bring your heart rate up even more with this Hip-Hop Fit Workout from Popsugar Fitness!
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWk19OVon2k (Time: 22 minutes)

Want to end your week with a challenge? Let’s do the core workout and hip-hop fitness! Remember, aim to be physically active for a total of 60-minutes each day!

Nutrition and Healthy Eating

Smoothies are a great way to reach our goal of five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Did you know that smoothies are also a great way to add fiber, protein, and healthy fats to diet? Try some add-ins to your smoothie to boost your intake of fiber, protein, and healthy fats.

Fruit & Veggie Smoothie
• 1 cup milk
• 1 small banana, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, mango, apple, or kiwi)
• 1/2 cup veggies (kale, spinach, raw fresh or frozen chopped cauliflower, raw fresh or frozen sliced zucchini, raw fresh or frozen sliced summer squash, roasted sweet potato, roasted butternut squash, steamed diced beets)
• Add-ins (pick 1-2): 1 tablespoon nut butter; 2 tablespoons avocado; 1 teaspoon hemp seeds, chia seeds, or ground flaxseed; 1 tablespoon coconut oil; 1 tablespoon rolled oats
• Adding ice will make this taste like a delicious frozen treat!
Instructions: Add chosen ingredients to a blender and blend until very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl and adding more liquid, if needed. Enjoy!

Physical Activity

Today’s KWIO yoga flow is called “Get Grounded” – when our days feel stressful and overwhelming, this flow will help us relax and feel grounded in the present moment. • https://youtu.be/Zs19fdBZN1U (Time: 8 minutes)

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. In a HIIT workout, you mix sets of exercise with shorter sets of rest. This HIIT video doesn’t have sound – so turn on your favorite music and let’s give it a try!
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj7TQ6xTjnU (Time: 9:27)

Feeling ambitious today? Try doing yoga and TWO rounds of the HIIT workout. Work up a sweat and keep your body strong and healthy!

Nutrition and Healthy Eating

Handouts: Minute to Win It Word Search
Minute To Win It
There are six essential nutrients; carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water that give our bodies the basic nutrition it needs. Eating fruits and vegetables provides our bodies with four of the six nutrients making them the building blocks our bodies need to stay healthy and strong.

To reinforce the ideas we’ve been learning about, like the importance of eating different fruits and vegetables try our Minute to Win it word search! Time yourself and see how fast you can find all 14 words. Make it a little more interesting by making it a competition! Print out copies for your entire family and set a timer for one minute. The person to find the most in one-minute wins! Keep going until everyone is able to find all fruits and vegetables within a minute.