Timesonline reports that new research stresses that exercise does NOT result in weight loss.

“Professor Boyd Swinburn, director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, says: “This is provocative in many ways . . . but my concern is that if we put the emphasis on exercise we are unlikely to tackle the obesity problem as we are not driving at the root cause.””

This is shocking as it attacks the entire culture that exercise is key to losing weight which has been accepted as fact since the 1980s aerobics boom. So why doesn’t exercise work? Two factors are key:

1. We overestimate calories burned typically doubling the figure
2. We eat more to reward ourselves for exercising

OK, guilty as charged.  I’ve been known to enjoy an extra slice of cheese cake if I went to spin class. And I know that when my kids get home from their evening sports activities their first stop is the fridge. In fact, in “a review of 18 studies of new school exercise programmes, published in March in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that in none of them did increasing PE reduce the children’s weight.” So where does that leave the Daily Physical Activity requirement? (see the post Yoga and the DPA Requirement)

We are now forced to consider the other side of the “eat less, move more” equation. Yes, the four letter word, “diet.” A simple mathematical equation of “calories in = calories out” and you won’t gain weight. Put emphasis on either side and you have either weight gain or weight loss depending on how you mess with the balance. True, it sucks, as you actually have to watch what you eat, make healthy choices, and be aware of your consumption habits.

Its always been easier to simply enrol Junior in a sporting activity and allow free reign at the table. Therein lies our problem. Constant snacking, high fat/high sugar foods, easy access to fast food, excessive consumption of soda and juice, highly refined products, convenience over nutrition. All these are contributing to an epidemic which is killing our children.

In order to truly combat the childhood obesity we need to follow the Surgeon General’s three pronged attack to:

• Help kids stay active
• Encourage healthy eating habits
• Promote healthy choices

For ideas on how to implement these goals check out the suggestions for Schools & Teachers and Parents & Caregivers.

Its not a case of diet vs exercise but more a lifestyle shift which includes both diet AND exercise. Yes, this means hard work, consistency, and actually eating 5-10 serving of fruit & veg a day. For a multitude of suggestions on how to accomplish this visit Diet-Blog. When we finally figure this out we’ll be well on our way to healthier living for ourselves and our children.

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Unfortunately, many of today’s children and youth do not get even the minimum amount of activity required to fully meet basic developmental demands. Our lifestyle is increasingly sedentary. Children – especially urban, western children – are much less active than they used to be, spending time in front of the television or computer and being driven everywhere in a car or bus. Add in the North American diet, and we have a growing population of children and youth who are overweight and at risk of disease.  

In answer to this societal epidemic, greater emphasis on health and physical activity in the schools has become paramount. Ontario, Alberta, and BC  have all introduced a Daily Physical Activity (DPA) Requirement for schools. This initiative aims to increase students’ health and fitness levels through a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity daily. The guiding principle of this initiative recognizes the necessity for lifelong habits of physical activity and healthy lifestyles.

The onus now is on implementation, which makes teachers responsible for developing the habits of healthful living crucial to the proper physical, mental, and emotional development of our children. Many teachers, however, struggle with this mandate, finding it one more thing to add to their already extensive ‘to do’ list.  

There are numerous resources for teacher training. In Ontario YogaUnlimited offers kids yoga training. Elsewhere Childlight Yoga, YogaEd, YogaKids, YogaBuddies, and many other organizations offer specialized training in yoga for classrooms and schools. I have taught yoga in schools, for in-service workshops, and at teacher’s conventions throughout Alberta since 2003. Here is a list of the services YIMS offers.  

In addition you can download ‘The Pet Store/L’animalerie’ – a FREE yoga adventure story for teachers and parents (see right hand tool bar to enter your name & e-mail). It provides explanations of:  

• What is a Yoga Adventure Story
• Why use one
• How to use this story
• Full pose descriptions
• A guided visualization
• The yoga adventure story in English and French

Truly an amazing resource! It’s as simple as reading a comic strip and will provide teachers with a complete yoga workout that takes 30 minutes and provides numerous benefits for your students.  

Subscribe for e-mail updates so as not to miss future posts on meeting the DPA Requirement.

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When teaching children yoga you always need a number of yoga games at your disposal. Stimulating short term memory during a game helps teach this skill so it can be applied in school, work, and real-life situations. This game can easily take an entire class, is adaptable to any size group or time frame, and really gets everyone thinking.

Add One

Stand in a circle. The first person performs a pose of their choice. Everyone practices this pose and the second person adds another one. Everyone performs these two poses in order, then the third person adds a new, different pose to the chain. Continue on (working as a group to remember the order when necessary) until all students have had a chance to add a pose.  

This is deceptively simple and definitely works the memory if you have a large class. With a small class, you may want to go around the circle twice. The teacher may have to prompt students who are having difficulty coming up with a new pose to add to the chain.

I often play this game when teaching the theme ‘The Pet Store’ where students choose animals that you would find at the pet store and we practice the associated pose. Be sure to download your FREE copy of this yoga adventure story and sign up for our fantastic newsletter.

Playing Add One definitely keeps the kids engaged and they are always eager to think of an animal or pose we haven’t yet suggested. Try it the next time you are teaching a class and let me know how it worked.

If you enjoyed this post subscribe to my RSS Feed or for e-mail delivery so as not to miss future yoga games posts. They’ll take your classes from so-so to out of this world fun.

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