|
The Maine
Governor's Council on Physical Activity endorses the following programs.
Take
it Outside!
Take it Outside! is an initiative led by
Governor John E. Baldacci to encourage Maine's children and
families to be active and reconnect with nature.
Take it Outside! is your information source for
year-round outdoor recreation opportunities in Maine.
Here you will find everything you need to Take it
Outside! and have fun in the great Maine outdoors -
www.take-it-outside.com.
WinterKids
WinterKids is a non-profit organization whose mission is to
help Maine children develop life-long habits of health,
education, and fitness through outdoor winter activities.
Their flagship program, the WinterKids Passport, lets every
Maine 5th, 6th, and 7th grader enjoy free alpine and
cross-country skiing all winter long. New in 2003 is the
addition of passes to ice arenas. The Winter Outdoor
Fitness Guide helps teachers incorporate activity into their
current education programs.
The WinterKids
Outdoor Fitness Program has been aligned with the State of
Maine Learning Results and is endorsed by the Maine
Principals' and Maine Superintendents' Associations, as well
as Past Governor Angus King, and Dr. Dora Mills, Director,
Maine Bureau of Health..
Any teacher
can obtain a copy of the manual by contacting Fran Mullin
at 207-871-5700, ext. 102 or by e-mail at
fmullin@winterkids.org.
More information on WinterKids can be found at
www.winterkids.org.
Safe Routes to School
Safe Routes to School is a statewide effort among Maine
communities to increase bicycling and walking to school by
improving student transportation choices, safety and health.
In partnership with the Maine Department of Transportation,
the Bicycle Coalition of Maine provides staff support and
resources to schools and communities to increase the number
of students walking and bicycling to school. Walking
and bicycling is a great way for kids to be healthy and
enjoy Maine's beautiful outdoors! To learn more about
how your school or community can begin a Safe Routes
program, contact Denise Delorie, Safe Routes to School
Encouragement Director, at 207-692-7384 or
saferoutes@BikeMaine.org or visit
www.Mainesaferoutes.org.
Tri for a Cure
Tri for a Cure will be a sprint triathlon consisting of
a 1/3 mile swim, 12-15 mile bike, and 3 mile run. The
race will be held on August 9, 2008 at the beautiful
oceanfront campus of Southern Maine Community College.
Tri for a cure will be unique in the following ways:
1) It will be an all-women's race, 2) It will be 100%
non-profit, with all money raised going directly to Maine
Cancer Foundation for funding cancer research and promoting
support programs in Maine, and 3) It will be a pioneer in
the area of "greening" sporting events in the state.
Tri for a Cure will offer the following for women ages 16 to
80+:
-
A realistic fitness goal
to set and reach
-
Training programs for the
beginner triathlete, providing women with the proper
guidance for exercise and nutrition, plus the ability to
bond with other female athletes working towards the same
goal
-
An opportunity to obtain a
healthy lifestyle through active participation in
swimming, biking and running
-
Relay and duathlon options
for those athletes unable or unwilling to participate in
one or more of the three sports.
Tri for a Cure has a mission
to promote a healthy lifestyle through cross-training
exercise, proper nutrition, environmental awareness, and
provide women throughout the State of Maine with a lifetime
achievement of completing a triathlon. For more
information go to
www.mainetriforacure.com or contact Julie Jordan
at jajordan@maine.rr.com.
A Matter of Balance
Many older adults experience concerns about falling and
restrict their activities. A Matter of Balance is an
award-winning program designed to reduce the fear of falling
and increase the activity levels of older adults who have
concerns about falls. The program includes eight
two-hour sessions for a small group led by a trained
facilitator. Classes help participants learn to:
-
view falls as controllable
-
set goals for increasing
activity
-
make changes to reduce
fall risks at home
-
exercise to increase
strength and balance
For more information about A
Matter of Balance, please visit the MaineHealth Partnership
for Healthy Aging website at
www.mainehealth.org/pfha.
Healthy Maine Walks
Healthy Maine Walks is sponsored by a coalition of trail,
health agencies, and other organizations working together to
build a healthier Maine. We have joined forces to promote
healthier lifestyles by making it easier for Mainers to find
and use walking routes in towns all across the state. The
vision is to have at least one designated walking route in
every Maine community. Communities can register their
walking routes and people who wish to include a pleasant
walk in their daily routine can find one. The web site
provides communities and individuals with information on the
benefits of physical activity in our daily lives as well as
suggesting resources that can help communities develop a
route or build a trail. For more information and a list of
registered trails, visit
www.healthymainewalks.org.
Tobacco Free Athletes
An Initiative of The Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine.
Promote tobacco-free living to your players in the following
ways:
-
Model healthy behaviors you would like your players to
assume.
-
Talk to your players about
the health effects of tobacco use. (Talking points are
found in the Tobacco-Free Athletes (TFA) Coach Manual
distributed by The Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine
(PTM) and the local Healthy Maine Partnerships.)
-
Adopt the tobacco-free
team policy promoted in the TFA Coach Manual.
-
Share this policy with
your players' parents.
-
Refuse tobacco company
sponsorship of any type.
-
Work with other coaches
and parents to make the playing fields your team uses
tobacco-free.
-
Collaborate with your
local Healthy Maine Partnership and recreation
department to help make all recreation facilities
tobacco-free.
-
For more information about
the Tobacco-Free Athletes Coach Manuals, contact PTM at
207-287-4625 or go online at
www.tobaccofreemaine.org
and click on tobacco use prevention.
Healthy Aim
Maine kids are increasingly suffering the effects of poor
nutrition and inactivity. Walt Shepard, an Olympic hopeful
biathlete, wants to start a dialogue with the youth of our
state about being accountable to themselves for their
choices in life and create awareness for what it will take
to be healthy. Program goals include: 1) To model being
accountable to yourself in order to reach your potential; 2)
To have a lasting impact on the lives of Maine kids; and 3)
To have a widespread influence in Maine. For more
information about Healthy Aim, including information on how
to get Walt to visit your school, go to
www.healthyaim.com.
Sun Safety in Maine
The Maine Department of Education, in conjunction with the
Maine Department of Human Services, the Bureau of Health,
and the Maine Cancer Consortium have been working on a Sun
Safety Kit for Maine high schools. The "Sun Safety in
Maine" kit is targeted for teens. The purpose of the kit is
to raise awareness of skin cancer prevention in Maine and to
change the behaviors of Maine teens to practice sun safety
habits. The Sun Safety kit will be distributed to all Maine
high schools during the summer of 2004. Each kit will
include a video addressing the topic of sun safety, a
notebook of current, accurate information, and several sun
safety activity ideas to implement at the local level. A
highlight of the information in the notebook is a sample
policy for schools to adapt or adopt that addresses sun
safety behavior and will provide a school-wide approach to
the prevention of skin cancer.
Move and Improve
Move & Improve (M&I) of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems is
a community-based program designed to encourage and empower
individuals to engage in a healthier lifestyle by increasing
their level of physical activity. Through the use of
structured goals, M&I gives you the opportunity to identify
the goal that best fits your needs as well as tips and
helpful information to keep you motivated along the way!
Cost
-------------- FREE
Length ------------- 12 weeks
Registration ------ January 31 - March 21
Goals --------------- Participants must be
active for 8 of the 12 weeks for a minimum of 30-minutes
per day, 4 days per week or 45-minutes a day, 5 days a
week..
For more
information, visit us at
www.moveandimprove.org.
March Into May
March Into May is a FREE 10-week health improvement
program. Its design allows for a fun and effective way to
increase physical activity for anyone that participates, by
helping them find what works best for them. The goal of the
program is to improve the health of participants by
motivating them to increase physical activity through
activities they enjoy.
March Into May
is sponsored by Healthy Portland, Public Health Division,
Health and Human Services Department; Martin's Point Health
Care; Council on International Educational Exchange;
Communities Promoting Health/PROP; and Anthem Blue Cross and
Blue Shield.
If you are
interested in joining the program or have any questions,
please call Rick Fortier at 207-874-8618 or email him at
rmf@portlandmaine.gov.
Check out their new website at
www.marchintomay.org.
Take Time!
The Take Time! Program provides participating Maine
K-8 schools with creative ways to incorporate physical
activity and nutrition messages throughout the school day.
The Take Time! program provides opportunities for all
students to engage in 10-20 minutes of accumulated daily
physical activity inside and outside of the classroom in
addition to the existing physical education classes and
recess. For more information, go to
www.maine-nutrition.org/Projects/TakeTime.htm.
|
