Todays high-pressure childhoods cry out for every cognitive and emotional advantage that fitness can provide, but children are staring at screens, sitting on couches, and staying inside.
William E. Simon Jr. examines the greatest threat to our childrens health in America today: the deadly duo of obesity and inactivity. As a result of these perils, children today may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.
With the help of world-renowned medical experts, the author investigates the causes and effects of this health crisis and looks at recent research revealing the extraordinary benefits that physical activity confers on a childs mind, body, and spirit.
If we are to give children the healthy start in life they deserve, the author contends, schoolsas the place where almost all children spend most of their waking hoursmust play a greater role in teaching physical literacy and providing fitness resources.
Learn why physical education is so important to childrens well-being and how you can fight the growing epidemic of inactivity inBreak a Sweat, Change Your Life. Advance Praise for Break a Sweat, Change Your Life [T]he current levels of obesity and inactivity in our children have become the most fearful enemies to their health. Break a Sweat, Change Your Life thoughtfully and constructively addresses the health crisis todays children are facing, calling on schools to implement adequate physical education programs at all grade levels in order to give our youth a strong start in life. From the foreword by Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, the Father of Aerobics Break a Sweat, Change Your Life takes a much-needed look at the deplorable lack of physical education in our nations schools, identifying the science behind the need for robust PE programs, as well as ways to improve the situation. Bill Simon has spent decades attempting to revitalize physical education in schools, and everyone who cares about children should read his book. John J. Ratey, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain One of the best things we can do for our children is to make exercise a routine part of their lives. This is a highly readable, informative book that explains the huge physical, cognitive, and mental health benefits our children gain when we help them to stay active. Wendy A. Suzuki, PhD, Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York Unive