Discussion: Young Women's Fitness Advice

I am currently teaching PE to a group of young women. They are mostly inactive and many of them make some fairly unhealthy choices. Internet searches have provided nothing but magazines and sites that play up common stereotypes.

I am looking for any good information, accessible for teenagers, that addresses healthy lifestyle, long-term fitness and fun approaches to exercise.

Any and all advice is welcome.

Thanks.

Have you looked at girl scouts stuff? they usually have some good ideas. and they have stuff for girls through high school.
Also, I have some friends who really liked the Girls on the Run program, which has a middle school version called Girls on Track. I never liked gym because I was really into dance and stretching and not having stuff thrown at me. I really like the fitness classes in college.
loud music w/ a good beat helps in the fitness classes here. My faves are cardio kickboxing and Pilates.
As for bad decisions, skits and journalling might be useful. or they will just think they are stupid. depends on the group I guess...

GOOD LUCK!

You might take a look at this:
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/GoGirlGo.asp...
I haven't used these resources so don't know if they're any good.

Try the NCAA web page.

I think it is up to you to motivate them. Do what you can and give it your best. I feel that you can be their role model and lead by example. Take them orienteering or just do a fun unit.
They don't have to run. With the AP advice and the internet you should find activities that stress FUN. I have worked with low motivation students for my whole career, get crazy, go nuts and the kids should follow. Sites might include AAHPERD, PE Best Practices and PE Central.
Good Luck and be their fitness leader.

Maybe you could ask these young women what they think. Let them in on deciding what a good plan of action is. If they are making poor choices they probably don't have a very high value of self-worth. Asking them for their input and letting them have some power could really go a long way.

But don't anguish...

Remember that much of what we take as gospel today, is still unproven, so far as its true value in extending a high-quality lifetime.

My grandmother lived a spry life into her late 90's...her life was full of "unhealthy" choices. She never ran a step in her life, never knew the term "organic," ate ice cream in front of the TV as she darned socks for the whole family, and laughed, laughed, laughed at just about anything. She lived a long and happy life...what more could you want for your girls?

Thanks. I appreciate all the advice. I ordered the GoGirlGo curriculum yesterday. I will be checking other suggested sites today.

One of the reasons I posted is that I knew I could be missing something obvious. Like dancing. Nearly all the young women like to dance and I remember seeing a some cool dance/workout videos a few years back that another class was using. I'll track those down.

Thia, thanks for the idea of their input. That is a standard part of all classes I teach. I agree, the power of asking for input--then taking action on it--is significant.