We need to Fuel Up To Play60

What is Fuel Up to Play 60?

Created in partnership by National Dairy Council and the National Football League, Fuel Up to Play 60 is a program that empowers youth to take action in their school and for their own health. The goal of the program is to make long-term changes in the school's nutrition and physical activity.

Fuel Up to Play 60 program reaches youth directly to get their friends and school to expand opportunities for physical activity and increase availability of more kid-appealing, good-tasting, nutrient-rich foods, such as 1% chocolate milk, salad bars, yogurt and fruit parfaits, and whole grain pasta and breads.

How does the program work?

Fuel Up to Play 60 has fun Action Strategies for students to plan, implement and participate in - all while earning points for themselves and their school. Students help lead and design the strategies to create more options for being active and eating more healthy foods.

Program Components

• Interactive Web site (www.FuelUpToPlay60.com) where students can sign up and take the pledge, play games and track healthy behaviors while earning points towards the Fuel Up to Play 60 National Competition.
• Free Fuel Up to Play 60 Wellness Activation Kit for schools. Available at www.FuelUpToPlay60.com, the kit includes healthy eating and physical activity programs and tools, such as posters, healthy habits pledge cards and tracking sheets. These resources will help students and adult advisors in co-creating and leading tailored Fuel Up to Play 60 efforts in their schools.

To order your schools FREE Kits visit www.fueluptoplay60.com.

Join Us in Congratulating our Fuel Up To Play 60 State Winner!

While recently there has been a national focus on eliminating child obesity throughout the country, in Arizona, Cheyenne Elementary has shown that focusing on small, realistic improvements can be the first step toward that goal. Out of all the 1,124 schools participating in Fuel Up to Play 60, Cheyenne was selected as the statewide winner of the Fuel Up to Play 60 nationwide online competition. Fuel Up to Play 60 is a national program developed by National Dairy Council, Dairy Council of Arizona and the National Football League that centers on helping youth make their schools a healthier environment.

Cheyenne will be rewarded with a Hopsports Interactive Youth Physical Education Training System worth $10,000 as well as $1,000 to help them further showcase the progress they've already made toward making their school a healthier environment. For example, students have implemented taste tests to help fellow classmates vote on which fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat and fat-free dairy food options they would work to have added to their breakfast and lunch lines. They also started a walking club and calculated how many miles it was to University of Phoenix Stadium, restaurants close by and other towns like Flagstaff or Payson. The students walked around campus before, during and after school and logged 586 miles!

Through their involvement with the Fuel Up to Play 60 program and by making school-wide changes, Cheyenne students earned points by tracking their healthy eating and physical activity behaviors every day, making them the highest scoring school from Arizona in the competition.

"Cheyenne Elementary was thrilled to be part of Fuel Up to Play 60 and give our students the opportunities to make their own decisions on how they will make themselves and the school a healthier place," said Erin Greiner, Fuel Up To Play 60 Program Advisor. By being recognized as the top school in our state, our students were eager to continue with their efforts and excited to join the program next school year to make even more healthy changes at our school!"

Fuel Up to Play 60 is a national school wellness program that is working with youth, schools and communities to offer actionable solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic and help youth develop positive life-long healthy eating and daily physical activity habits. As a private-public partnership effort at both the national level and in Arizona, Fuel Up to Play 60 shares the ambitious yet attainable goals outlined in First Lady Michelle Obama's childhood obesity platform "Let's Move!" which aims to curb child obesity within a generation. Fuel Up to Play 60 empowers students to make changes at their schools that will help them "fuel up" with nutrient-rich foods often missing from their diets - such as low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains - and "play" for 60 minutes of physical activity a day. All participating schools have access to a customizable program, which includes action strategies related to nutrient-rich foods and physical activity, in-school promotional materials and an interactive Web site to facilitate positive changes in the school environment.

"We're proud and excited that Cheyenne Elementary has won the Fuel Up to Play 60 competition. This program allows youth to really take action for their health and work towards making their school environment an even healthier place. We're also ensuring that as a community we're making long-lasting changes that will impact children's health for their lifetime," said Patricia Johnson RD, SNS Nutrition Services Director for the Dairy Council of Arizona.

"The Arizona Cardinals are a proud partner of Fuel Up to Play 60," said Tom Reed, Head Athletic Trainer. "Our players know that eating a healthy diet and being active every day is the key to staying fit, which is why we're excited to serve as role models to help inspire our young fans to make healthier choices. Now, Cheyenne and all the other kids who are working so hard are setting a great example, too."

In addition to Cheyenne being selected as the statewide winner of Arizona, the Fuel Up to Play 60 national online school and student competition grand prize winners will also be announced soon.

To learn more about Fuel Up to Play 60 or to sign up for the 2010-2011 program visit: FuelUptoPlay60.com or DairyCouncilofAz.org. Media resources, including related video footage and photos are available at FuelUptoPlay60MediaResources.com.