Youths incorporate health into learning

Aug. 9, 2012, was shaping up to be another average Thursday at Cannon Air Force Base. The temperature outside was hot; the kind of hot that leaves embarrassing stains in the pits of every gray T-shirt and turns each exposed neck a vibrant shade of red. Yes, it was an average day in every way but one.

The unmistakable sound of laughter is coming from the base youth center in the midst of an educational seminar. Learning is perhaps the last thing a person would expect to derive happiness from in the middle of the summer, but the evidence is overwhelming: Someone is having fun in the classroom.

"It is important to get kids thinking about their health at a young age," said Laura Serrano, Airman & Family Readiness Center school liaison. "It is equally important to do so in a way that engages them and allows them to provide input and enjoy themselves."

As advancements in medical technology allow scientists to better understand the impact poor lifestyle choices can have on the human body, parents and educators alike are taking steps to combat obesity in America's youth.

"We teach the kids about the 'Super 19,' and give each of them a chart dictating what they should eat throughout the day," Serrano said. "The worksheet allows them to track what food groups they've eaten from and which they haven't. It helps the kids take on a more active role in their health."

In today's society, children often feel the need to be thin in order to keep bullies at bay. Serrano, a mother of three, has taken it upon herself to emphasize the difference between striving to become a healthy individual and dieting to gain acceptance.

"It is shocking how early kids are being made to feel self conscious of their bodies," she said. "We have to make it very clear that we're working toward health, not beauty or popularity."

Those who live, work and play within the boundaries of Cannon's gates have begun to make health, in all of its diverse facets, a priority.

"Kids can't go through life with the stress of pleasing others," Serrano continued. "There will always be someone saying they're too big, too thin, too tall or too short. We can't raise a generation of individuals who base their worth on how others perceive them. All we can hope for are happy, healthy, whole people."