Steps to good health

By Emma Schenk
STUDENTS across the country will step towards a healthier future this Friday as part of the National Walk Safely to School Day.
Coral Park Primary School is among thousands of primary schools celebrating the day and sharing the message: Active Kids are Healthy Kids.
“We like to encourage our students to be fit and active,” said principal Gill Gray.
“We encourage the children to walk to school more often, and to walk together for safety.”
With 17 per cent of children aged two to six officially overweight and 6 per cent classified as obese, it’s important that parents, teachers and children work together to achieve energetic bodies and minds.
By walking the entire way to school, jumping off the bus a few stops earlier or parking a few blocks away, students can achieve the minimum 60 minutes of recommended daily exercise.
This gives them improved concentration, increased motivation and confidence, and leads them towards a healthy, happy future.
Added benefits of Walk Safely to School Day include the decrease of dangerous vehicle congestion around schools and the reduction of carbon emissions from idling cars.