This is the last day of 2011. Like many of you, I had an action-packed year. I am sure that each of you has had just as many triumphs as failures. It is not unusual to take a moment and be reflective about all of the things that you did or didn't do, things that did or didn't happen, the people who came into and went out of your life, the people who loved you and hated on you, the people who stuck with you and who turned their backs on you, all of the lessons you learned, and so on...But reflection is one thing, and holding on to "what had happened" is something else.
There is a lesson in everything--that is what the living is all about--so be present in every moment. See people for who they are and recognize that they are in your life to teach you something. Some will support and inspire you while others serve as an example of what NOT to be. Embrace that. Don't waste time on petty vendettas. Accept that we all have insecurities about something and those insecurities manifest themselves in our attitudes and behaviors. We can often feel threatened by the successes of others if we don't understand that the gifts we have are what we are supposed to have. There is a place in this world for everyone. The only person you should compete with is YOU. Stay in your lane, define your success on your own terms, and keep it moving (moving forward, that is).
If I am blessed to be here tomorrow, I vow to try harder than I ever have, challenge myself more than I ever have, ignore distractions and detractors, believe in myself, have faith in what Allah (God) has in store for me, strive to be a better sister, mother, partner, and friend, embrace love, shun jealousy and envy, and help somebody who needs it. I encourage each and every one of you to do the same.
So in case I don't "see" you, Happy New Year! Make it your best year yet!
Be good to yourself! More next time...
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
New Research Briefs Examine Obesity Epidemic Among Latino Youths
Briefs analyze factors contributing to Latino childhood obesity, recommend policies to help prevent it
Published: Dec 07, 2011
Published: Dec 07, 2011
Salud America!, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), has released a comprehensive collection of research briefs examining the obesity epidemic among Latino children and teens.
Three of the new national briefs review current evidence with respect to Latino youth in three major areas: the availability of healthy, affordable foods; opportunities for physical activity; and the impact of food marketing on diets and obesity rates. These briefs also provide policy recommendations, including the following:
Latinos are currently the most populous and fastest growing ethnic minority in the United States. Over the last decade, the Latino population has grown by more than 40 percent. And according to recent estimates, nearly 40 percent of Latino children and teens are overweight and more than 20 percent are obese. The new briefs provide a snapshot of the state of the epidemic among Latino youths and describe how leaders and policy-makers can more effectively address it.
Salud America!, the RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, is a national network of researchers, community leaders, policy-makers and other stakeholders who are working together to increase the number of Latino scientists seeking environmental and policy solutions to address Latino childhood obesity.
Be good to yourself! More next time...
Three of the new national briefs review current evidence with respect to Latino youth in three major areas: the availability of healthy, affordable foods; opportunities for physical activity; and the impact of food marketing on diets and obesity rates. These briefs also provide policy recommendations, including the following:
- Efforts to bring healthy foods into neighborhoods and schools should particularly focus on Latino communities, since they are disproportionately affected by the epidemic.
- Policies that can help people be physically active in their neighborhoods should emphasize Latino populations because they are more likely to live in areas that do not support such activity.
- Efforts to reduce exposure to unhealthy food and beverage marketing should consider that Latino youth are particularly targeted by advertisers.
- Health programs and messages should be culturally sensitive, relevant for all populations and produced in both English and Spanish.
Latinos are currently the most populous and fastest growing ethnic minority in the United States. Over the last decade, the Latino population has grown by more than 40 percent. And according to recent estimates, nearly 40 percent of Latino children and teens are overweight and more than 20 percent are obese. The new briefs provide a snapshot of the state of the epidemic among Latino youths and describe how leaders and policy-makers can more effectively address it.
Salud America!, the RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children, is a national network of researchers, community leaders, policy-makers and other stakeholders who are working together to increase the number of Latino scientists seeking environmental and policy solutions to address Latino childhood obesity.
Be good to yourself! More next time...Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Better Physical and Emotional Health Equals Better Learning
This article written by Jane Lowe of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (http://www.RWJF.org) stresses the importance of keeping fun,constructive, character-building playtime in lower-income schools. Our children are under attack due to rapidly increasing poverty rates and the resulting instability of home life. These factors adversely affect children's ability to focus in the classroom as well as interact with one another in a positive manner. Organizations like The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (http://www.healthinschools.org) and Playworks (http://www.playworks.org) offer viable solutions to save them. Read the full article below.
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Published: Dec 07, 2011
Today in Education Week, Vulnerable Populations Team Director Jane Lowe discusses the impact of innovative partnerships that address the physical and emotional health of schoolchildren in the article, “Want to Boost Learning? Start with Emotional Health.” With poverty rates in our country on the rise, more children are facing instability at home as programs are being slashed at school.
Learning requires more than good teachers and books. If a child is sick, hungry or struggling with family instability at home, the ability to retain lessons takes a backseat. And as Lowe acknowledges, “Schools cannot — and should not — be expected to manage these issues themselves. On the other hand, they cannot afford to ignore them if they expect students to achieve.” Solutions—however innovative or unique—are out there, Lowe insists, including RWJF grantees Playworks and The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS).
Playworks supports a full-time, trained staff person to improve recess in low-income schools, often an Americorps member. Playworks staff are dedicated coaches trained to transform the playground–which too often is a place of chaos and conflict at schools – to engage all kids in fun, constructive games and give them the tools to resolve disputes quickly and get back in the game. This, on top of engaging them in healthy physical activity that lets them burn off energy and return to the classroom more focused on learning, adds up to improved school climates and better learners. Increasingly, what we’re seeing, as the program spreads to schools in cities across the country is that Playworks helps strengthen the social and emotional health of kids, giving them critical skills and values to help them grow into healthy adults – conflict resolution, cooperation, leadership, self-respect and respect for others and a greater sense of school connectedness.
While Playworks helps to boost social and emotional well-being through play, CHHCS focuses on the physical and mental health of schoolchildren through school-based health centers. These centers are community-based health care organizations that sponsor licensed health care professionals that actively work with all levels of school employees to ensure that kids’ health is an integral part of the school. In addition to keeping children physically and emotionally healthy, which provides a better environment for learning, the centers expose children to caring adults who can help them solve difficult problems in healthy ways. As Lowe notes in the article, “Researchers saw that students who received care through school-based health centers not only had better attendance and fewer disciplinary issues, but they actually saw increases in GPA — particularly for students who accessed mental health services.”
The innovative partnerships that Playworks and CHHCS have established with schools are a key driver of their success in improving students’ health and well-being. Lowe calls for leadership from more schools to prioritize such partnerships so that vulnerable children can get the care they need to succeed in school and in life, particularly amidst these challenging economic circumstances.
Learning requires more than good teachers and books. If a child is sick, hungry or struggling with family instability at home, the ability to retain lessons takes a backseat. And as Lowe acknowledges, “Schools cannot — and should not — be expected to manage these issues themselves. On the other hand, they cannot afford to ignore them if they expect students to achieve.” Solutions—however innovative or unique—are out there, Lowe insists, including RWJF grantees Playworks and The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS).
Playworks supports a full-time, trained staff person to improve recess in low-income schools, often an Americorps member. Playworks staff are dedicated coaches trained to transform the playground–which too often is a place of chaos and conflict at schools – to engage all kids in fun, constructive games and give them the tools to resolve disputes quickly and get back in the game. This, on top of engaging them in healthy physical activity that lets them burn off energy and return to the classroom more focused on learning, adds up to improved school climates and better learners. Increasingly, what we’re seeing, as the program spreads to schools in cities across the country is that Playworks helps strengthen the social and emotional health of kids, giving them critical skills and values to help them grow into healthy adults – conflict resolution, cooperation, leadership, self-respect and respect for others and a greater sense of school connectedness.
While Playworks helps to boost social and emotional well-being through play, CHHCS focuses on the physical and mental health of schoolchildren through school-based health centers. These centers are community-based health care organizations that sponsor licensed health care professionals that actively work with all levels of school employees to ensure that kids’ health is an integral part of the school. In addition to keeping children physically and emotionally healthy, which provides a better environment for learning, the centers expose children to caring adults who can help them solve difficult problems in healthy ways. As Lowe notes in the article, “Researchers saw that students who received care through school-based health centers not only had better attendance and fewer disciplinary issues, but they actually saw increases in GPA — particularly for students who accessed mental health services.”
The innovative partnerships that Playworks and CHHCS have established with schools are a key driver of their success in improving students’ health and well-being. Lowe calls for leadership from more schools to prioritize such partnerships so that vulnerable children can get the care they need to succeed in school and in life, particularly amidst these challenging economic circumstances.
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You can teach your children the importance and benefits of being healthy and active at home! Pick up your copies of Fit Girls Like You ( https://www.createspace.com/3699406) and Fit Boys Like You (https://www.createspace.com/3699456) TODAY!
Be good to yourself! More next time...
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