Laura MillerFounder/Director

About Me:• Executive Director of Children’s Body Image Foundation• Founder & Director of Follow Me! Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids

About Follow Me!Follow Me!'s mission is to aide in the fight against childhood obesity by educating parents about the importance of setting a positive example with fitness, diet and nutrition and families about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

We do this through strategic partnerships, large family based events along with year round community outreach and education

How Follow Me! Got Started:

• My Personal Story• Leading By Example Whether We Like It or Not• Getting Parents Involved In Change• Education is the Key to Success

“Be The Change You Wish To See In The World” ~ Gandhi

Alarming Statistics

The National Average for Overweight Children in America is 31%.

Ohio’s Average for Obese Children is 34%

Children who are 10 years old and are overweight have an 80% risk of being obese as an adult.

Alarming Statistics

Obesity in children increases the risks of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, breast cancer, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, mental disorders such as depression and low self esteem.

- 80% of type II diabetes related to obesity - 70% of cardiovascular disease related to obesity - 42% breast & colon cancer diagnosed in obese individuals - 26% of obese people having high blood pressure

Alarming StatisticsOverweight people are:• 50% more likely to develop heart disease (obese: up to 100%)• Up to 306% more likely to develop diabetes (obese: up to 1,020%)• 16% more likely to die of a first heart attack (obese: 49%)• Roughly 50% more likely to have total cholesterol above 250 (obese: up to 122%)• Likely to spend 37% more a year at the pharmacy (obese: up to 105%)• Likely to stay 19% longer in the hospital (obese: up to 49%)• 20% more likely to have asthma (obese: 62%)• Up to 31% more likely to die of any cause (obese: up to 62%) • 19% more likely to die in a car crash (obese: 37%)• 120% more likely to develop stomach cancer (obese: 330%)• Up to 90% more likely to develop gallstones (obese: up to 150%)• 590% more likely to develop esophageal cancer (obese: 1,520%)• 35% more likely to develop kidney cancer (obese: 70%)• 14% more likely to have osteoarthritis (obese: 34%)• 70% more likely to develop high blood pressure (obese: up to 170%)

Hidden Costs of ObesityFat Bills - $93 Billion Dollars a YearAbout 32% of Americans are obese. That adds up to 9% of our national medical bill, or $93 billion. California, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas each spend more than $4 billion annually treating health problems that result from obesity.

Missing Work - $800 per yearObese workers miss more days of work than those who have kept a normal weight. On average, people miss about three days of work per year. But obese men miss five, and obese women in the heaviest body mass category miss eight days of work.

Jet Fuel - $275 millionThe extra poundage packed on by the average American in the last decade required airplanes to use an extra 350 million gallons of fuel, according to an analysis by researchers at Cornell University.

Hidden Costs of ObesitySuper Sizing - $7.72 per mealOn average, getting a value meal at a fast-food restaurant costs 67 cents--an apparent bargain. But eating that meal comes with its own costs. For a man who is already obese, the extra calories will mean he spends 5 cents extra on gasoline that year, an extra 36 cents on food in the future because of the weight he gained, and an extra $6.64 in annual health care costs.

Out of Your Pocket- $180 per yearAbout half of the total cost of obesity-related health care, or about $45 billion, is paid by the government through its Medicare program, which covers senior citizens, or Medicaid, which helps the poor. For every American citizen, the out-of-pocket tax cost is an average $180.

Top Eight Things Teachers Can Teach Their Students About

Health, Wellness & Nutrition

Tip #1Never Skip Breakfast

Children skip breakfast more than any other meal.

People who skip breakfast are more likely to take up smoking or drinking.

Tip #2Snack With Purpose

Over the past 20 years, salty snack portions increased by 93 calories & soft drinks have increased by 49 calories.

With just a simple snack of chips & a soda kids are ingesting 142 more calories than we did as kids.

Tip #3Beware of Portions

Since 1977, portion sizes have dramatically increased. Hamburgers by 97 calories, french fries by 68 calories and

Mexican food by 133 calories.

Serving portions in smaller bowl or cups will result in kids consuming less without knowing it.

Tip #4Eat More Whole Foods

General rule of thumb is to eat foods with seven ingredients or less

Do a classroom experiment of researching what is in the foods your students are eating (fast food & meals) then

challenge them to find foods with seven or less ingredients

Tip #5Set the Table

Eating foods in a designated area at a set time helps regulate eating habits and control eating

Conduct a classroom experiment. Have kids log the food they eat in their normal routine and then have them eat

at the table and log their food. Have a classroom discussion about the difference.

Tip #7Kick The Sugar Habit

These days high fructose corn syrup can be found in almost everything. Compared to 1977, Americans consume 132

calories more of high fructose corn syrup a day.

Challenge your student to look in their cupboards at their regular snack items and find three that do not have high fructose corn

syrup. Have a discussion about what is on everyone's list.

Tip #8Eat the Rainbow

Foods that are great for us have a natural source of color. Eating fruits and vegetables that are dark in color are the

best for our bodies.

Have a discussion in your classroom of the vegetables and fruits that everyone eats and what are their favorites. Use a downloadable

nutrition guide to talk about the benefits of each color.

Physical activity allows students to relieve stress and aggression, thereby bringing better focus to the classroom, and movement during classroom activities can help some students to better engage.

Easy Implementations In The Classroom

How to Use Fitness Breaks to Keep Students Alert in the ClassroomEnergy BreaksA short fitness break of three to four minutes can get the blood pumping again, relieve boredom, reduce tension and increase your students' level of alertness. The result will be better learning by students and a better teaching experience for you. While it is not time spent on-task, it will make your students more able to learn, so it is definitely worthwhile.

MusicSome of the best energy breaks are performed to music, using on-the-spot aerobics movements designed to move the limbs and get the blood flowing. Be sure to have a tape full of 3-4 minute songs suitable for such a routine. A good tempo for such songs is 20-24 beats in a 10-second time span. The exercises you select should be appropriate for a teacher and students wearing typical classroom clothing.

Easy Implementations In The ClassroomOffice Worker RoutinesThis is also a good opportunity to introduce exercises your students can use once they are in the work world and stuck at a desk all day. Such exercises include wrist rotations, shoulder shrugs, heel lifts, neck movements and the soldier press, all of which can be performed while seated.

Sample Energy Break MovementsHere are some sample movements you could use in your routine: High knee marching. Jogging lightly on the spot. Race walking on the spot. Arm rotations, forward and back. Skip rope movements and variations such as crossovers, and backwards arm rotations. Swimming movements with the arms, mimicking different strokes. Throwing movements. Jump shot movements. Various dance step variations: sideways steps, forward steps, backwards steps, etc. Touching various body parts: head, shoulders, hips, knees, shins, toes (i.e. playing Simon Says while marching).

Easy Implementations In The ClassroomSleepy StarfishLie down on your back with your legs and arms apart. Stay very still and imagine you are a sleepy starfish resting at the bottom of the ocean. Breathe in and as you breathe out relax you arms. Breathe in and as you breathe out relax your legs, breathe in and as you breathe out relax your head. See how still you can be at the bottom of the ocean, resting like a sleepy starfish. Repeat to yourself I am silent, I am silent...

Big BalloonClose your eyes, be very still and imagine that you are holding a big balloon. It is very light. It feels very smooth. The balloon is in your favorite color. Now hold the bottom of your balloon, and feel the balloon gently rising into the sky. Each time you breathe in and out, you gently glide further and further into the warm summer sky. The deeper your breath is, the further you can travel. Enjoy this feeling of weightlessness. Enjoy the feeling of being completely free. Your body feels weightless and free and your mind feels totally free.

Easy Implementations In The ClassroomElastic BandClose your eyes, be very still and imagine your body is a piece of elastic. Just relax to start with and enjoy being a floppy piece of elastic. Allow your legs to be floppy and relaxed, let you arms be floppy and relaxed, let your stomach be floppy and relaxed and finally, let you neck and head be floppy and relaxed. Now very slowly imagine someone is very gently tugging your head and someone else is pulling your feet at the same time. And the elastic is becoming tighter. Your muscles are becoming more taut. Your whole body is getting longer and longer. Enjoy this wonderful stretching feeling as you are growing longer. Then ... ping....let all the muscles in your body relax as the elastic band is released. Relax back to being a floppy bendy piece of elastic again. Enjoy this wonderful feeling of being totally relaxed and floppy.

Squeeze and RelaxTake in a deep breath and as you breathe in, squeeze all the muscles in you body. Now, breathe out and relax all the muscles in your body. Repeat this exercise 2 or 3 times...

Easy Implementations In The ClassroomFun Classroom ActivitiesJumping Jacks WaterfallGet students out of their seats, and get their juices flowing with a jumping jack waterfall. Gather students into a circle, ensuring that each student has enough room to complete a jumping jack. Tell students that they are going to work together to accomplish an exciting task. Explain to students that they are going to create a jumping jack waterfall. To create this awesome effect, select a starting point in the circle. The student at the starting point completes one jumping jack. As the student completes the jumping jack, all students join in with counting "one." The student to right of the first student then does two jumping jacks, students again count the jumps. The jumping jacks continue in this fashion, moving around the circle with each person doing one additional jumping jack, until it gets back to the start of the circle. Congratulate students for their success when they accomplish the task.

Easy Implementations In The ClassroomFun Classroom ActivitiesInteractive StoryInstead of just listening to a story, students can join in the fun through the creation of an interactive story. Select a story that has lots of movement, or invent your own. Before you start the story, explain to students that they are going to act out the movements in the story. Practice these actions with students, showing them how to run in place, pretend to swim and any other relevant action.

Ask students to stand, then start the story. As you read, pause when you announce an action, and allow the students to begin imitating the action described. Students will be more engaged, because they will have to listen actively to determine what they are being ask to do. They will also be out of their seats, so they will be less likely to doze off or lose focus.

Great Online Resources & Games

EnergyBalance101.org – Anatomy of a Food Label

Great Online Resources & Games

EnergyBalance101.org – Select Your Product

Great Online Resources & Games

EnergyBalance101.org – Learn About the Nutrition

Great Online Resources & Games

EnergyBalance101.org – Learn What They Mean

Great Online Resources & Games

EnergyBalance101.org – Scales of Energy

Great Online Resources & Games

EnergyBalance101.org – Select Your Breakfast Item

Great Online Resources & Games

EnergyBalance101.org – Learn About the Calories

Great Online Resources & Games

EnergyBalance101.org – Select Your Activity

Great Online Resources & Games

EnergyBalance101.org – Learn How Many Calories You Burn

Great Online Resources & Games

KidsHealth.org – Interactive Food Pyramid Guide

Great Online Resources & Games

FoodChamps.org – Fruit & Veggie Color Game

ProduceforKids.org – Weekly Fruit & Veggie Planner

Great Online Worksheets

Great Online Worksheets

TeamNutrition.usda.gov – Food Pyramid Poster

Great Online Worksheets

PBHFoundation.org – Track How Much I Eat

All Links to Online Resources, Games & Downloads can be found on the Follow Me! website at:

www.followmekids.org/teachers.html