Kids' Health
Easy
exercise: walk to school
Kids at Bristol
Elementary School will join this month in a nationwide effort
to revive an easy form of exercise--walking. On Wednesday,
Oct. 6, Bristol kids will take part in the national Walk to
School Day.
Walk
to School Day is being promoted across the country as an easy
way for kids to get healthy exercise. Regular exercise is
one of the ways to combat the epidemic of overweight kids
in the U.S.
Bristol School
in Webster Groves participated in last year's Walk to School
Day.
This article
is a start of a new Young Saint Louis.com series on
Kids' Health. Each month, YSL.com will feature on some
aspect of your health. Or we'll tell about area kids who have
overcome health situations to live productive lives. We hope
you enjoy these stories and maybe get some tips on how to
improve your health.
Fourth grader
Irene Henry was one of the kids who took part. This year,
9-year-old Irene has increased her walking to school to three
days a week. Usually, her mother, Katy, accompanies her.
Anton Frommelt
is another Bristol 4th grader who has become a regular in
walking to school. He said his mother is the escort. Two kids
from next door, classmate Paige Krejci, and her little sister,
Lucy, often walk with them.
Their group is
what the Walk to School organization like to call a "walking
school bus." That's a group of kids accompanied by an
adult to make sure the kids' walk is a safe one.
Anton said, "My
mom doesn't let me walk unless there are two other kids or
we're accompanied by an adult."
For this year's
Walk to School Day, Anton's "walking school bus"
group will have at least one extra member.
Anton
Frommelt, Irene Henry
and Alex Ward (left to right) |
One of Anton's
close friends is 9-year-old Alex Ward. He lives too far from
school for a regular walking routine.
Anton said, "This
year, Alex will come for a sleepover the night before and
then he'll walk with us." Last year, Alex's parents just
brought him to Anton's home early in the morning so he could
walk with the group.
At Bristol School,
parents will volunteer to help set up "walking school
bus" routes throughout the area. Parents also will accompany
kids to and from school.
The Walk to School
Day movement is just getting started in the St. Louis area.
This year's local
sponsors include the Missouri Department of Transportation,
Trailnet, Inc., and Walkable St. Louis. They are linked to
the national Walk to School organization.
If you and your
parents would like to learn more about the Walk to School
efforts, you can visit the following websites:
www.walktoschool-use.org; www.trailnet.org
or www.sustainstl.org/walkablestl.
Organizers say
walking to school has all sorts of benefits. First, there's
good exercise since you're walking instead of riding in a
car or on a bus. Second, you are safe by being in a group.
Other benefits
include learning more about your community and learning more
about fellow students. Walking also helps your breathing.
There's also the benefit of reducing traffic congestion around
your school.
Irene Henry said
she walks with neighborhood friends. "We get to talk
every day. It's fun," she said.
For her, walking
is also a valuable source of exercise. She isn't doing any
sports this year. Her other activities include piano and violin
and taking part in acting classes.
She's also a big
book reader. "I just love history books," she said.
Alex Ward doesn't
get to walk to school often. But, he gets his exercise with
baseball. "And on gym days, we run around the school
track three times," he said.
Anton said his
regular walks are mostly fun, except "when we get stuck
for a long time at the train crossing." Webster Groves
has a busy railroad line running through town.
If it's a freight
train, he and his mother spend their time counting rail cars.
"You can figure out why we have to wait so long when
the train includes over 100 cars," he said.
When the train
is an Amtrak passenger train, Anton said he waves at the passengers,
who usually wave back.
Anton's other
exercise comes from lots of sports. He plays baseball, soccer,
tennis, swimming and hockey.
He got a special
sports treat when he visited his mother's hometown of Dyersville,
Iowa. That's the locale for the movie, "Field of Dreams."
"I got to
play catch on the field," he said.
