Healthy Habits, Healthier Lives

This is a sponsored post from Polar.





Physical educators in School District 196 in Minnesota are teaching fitness for a lifetime, and PE technology is helping make it possible.

We all know that the habits kids develop while they’re young can stay with them past their school days and into adulthood. Obviously, among the most valuable habits students need to adopt is that of making the commitment to physical fitness. “Our program not only has an impact on each student’s current fitness, but it also gives them the tools to continue the healthy habits that will last a lifetime,” states Deb Peterson, Department Leader for Physical Education/Health and Safety Education for School District 196 in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

Students in the district who are enrolled in grades 9-12 at Eastview High school are utilizing Polar activity monitoring technology as well as Polar heart rate monitors and TriFIT fitness assessment systems. Feedback gained from the technology has provided noticeable advantages for physical educators in communicating the importance of fitness and healthy lifestyles to students.

“As educators we believe it is vitally important to teach our students proper exercise intensity and the value of using progressive workouts to reach a healthy level of cardio fitness. What makes our program so exceptional is that through technology we have the data that demonstrates we are having an impact on the fitness of our students,” continues Deb. “We use pre and post assessments each quarter to evaluate the rigor of our class activities and make sure we are creating opportunities for our students to exercise at the necessary level of intensity. These assessments also allow each student to see how much they have improved their own fitness.”

The Physical Education Department at Eastview High School has also partnered with the Exercise Physiology Department at the University of Minnesota – using PE technology to test students as part of an initiative to measure cardiovascular fitness levels and cardio improvement. Results from the tests will then be utilized to create norms as a way of further enhancing the high school’s PE curriculum…and the health of students.

For more information about Polar, visit www.polarusa.com.