Students and Parents learn how to have

"Fun with Fitness"

Once again, UC CalFresh partnered with the UCSF Fresno Latino Center for Medical Education and Research to provide nutrition education to 7th and 8th-grade students who are on track to become medical professionals, and their families, at the Spring 2017 Health Education and Leadership Conference, held on Saturday, February 25^th, 2017 at Sunnyside High School.  

---Be Active Your Way---

In this year's workshop, parents were encouraged to make time for physical activity. Topics covered the health benefits of being physically active for ourselves and for our families. Participants learned the difference between aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening exercise, and the amount of physical activity we need, from kids to adults. There were plenty of opportunities to participate in physical activity throughout the class.

Parents review MyPlate at the start of the workshop.

Aerobic activity of the day: Jumping Jacks 

---What's My Pulse?---

Students learned about the importance of physical activity by measuring their pulse throughout various types of exercises. 

Resting

Students measure their pulse before doing any activities to find out their resting pulse. 

Warm-Up

After marching in place for 1 minute, students measure their pulse again to see if there were any changes. 

Stretching

Students learn that their pulse increases while stretching.

Aerobic Activity

Students complete 25 jumping jacks to measure their aerobic activity. 

Anaerobic Activity

Students strengthen their arm muscles with desk push-ups. 

Cool down

Breathing exercises help everyone cool down. 

---Making Better Choices---

Living a healthy life might seem challenging, but a great way to start yourself on the right path is to focus on making better choices, one-at-a-time. Participants were able to taste some healthy choices they could also make at home. They were encouraged to make better beverage choices and drink more water.

Participants were able to try three different types of infused water: lemon-ginger, strawberry-basil, and blueberry-mint. An energy snack sample was also handed out to show how easy it could be to make a healthy snack.  

Students and parents try out their infused water and energy snack. 

---Shaping Healthy Families---

UC CalFresh educators enjoyed being able to reach out to both students and parents during this workshop. Parents left with more information on how to make healthy choices for their families, and students left with a better understanding of why being physically active is so important.