Friday Feature! The Wellness Impact Report

 The Wellness Impact Report: from www.GENYOUthFoundation.org

This is a great tool to help Teams reach out to school's administration and Principals who may be hasitant about starting a health and wellness outreach

This report addresses why schools play a more important role than ever in helping forge the nation’s future. It illuminates the vital importance of improved nutrition and increased physical
activity in creating an environment that enriches students’
readiness to learn.

Schools have an indisputable role in ensuring the healthy environment that learning requires.
A wide variety of research continues to demonstrate the positive correlation between health and
learning and that they are mutually reinforcing. The benefits that can arise from proper nutrition and physical activity are a prerequisite to optimal learning and to avoiding and preventing chronic diseases. Since a broad range of critical societal conditions — from workforce preparedness to military readiness — depend on the effectiveness
of our schools on the well-being front, neglecting wellness there runs the risk of incurring substantial real and hidden costs. Neuroscience illuminates the effects of nutrition and physical activity on learning. The brain is malleable when responding to biological and environmental factors, which proves an important attribute for learning. Research indicates the quality of foods children eat impacts cognition — with poor nutrition linked with absenteeism, hunger symptoms and psychosocial problems. Brain-imaging studies show that the brains of aerobically fit children may exhibit superior executive-function control. Physical activity, regardless of whether it’s during recess, in the classroom or in physical education class, may improve school performance and achievement. Breakfast, diet quality and food insecurity
are key issues. Serving school breakfast — especially through alternative options such as breakfast in the classroom and grab ‘n’ go — is possibly the easiest, most cost-effective and most directly helpful step schools can take to improve school and student wellness. Because of federal reimbursements, potentially high participation rates and profitability,school breakfast programs make economic sense. Breakfast can also help improve the quality of children’s diets. The quality of food children eat has been shown to relate closely to overall growth and development. Positive associations between diet quality and academic performance are helping
shape the view of what constitutes the “best” breakfast.

Read More here: http://www.genyouthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/The_Wellness_Impact_Report.pdf