Healthy living programming in your area
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EmailMichigan State University Extension provides an array of healthy living programs available across Michigan.
Michigan State University Extension’s statewide healthy living team consists of Kea Norrell-Aitch, Michelle Neff and me. We have worked very hard to develop a statewide focus for programming in the healthy living area as it relates to healthy eating or nutrition, increased physical fitness and personal safety. We are committed to bringing healthy living programming to an area near you.
In order for us to be successful, there needs to be some collaboration at the local level to make these programs happen in the counties around Michigan. We are asking that counties help us find a location to hold healthy living events, as well as help us advertise to the audience you work with on a daily basis. We ask this because no one knows your audience and population of people better than you do. We can then formulate what program we are going to do and come to your county and provide the programming as well as any costs associated with it.
One of the types of programming offered is 4-H Yoga for Kids. This can be a training provided to adult and youth volunteers or teen leaders. This is also a stand-alone program that gets youth involved and physically active while having fun. Also, doing yoga poses helps reduce stress and builds flexibility and strength.
SSG Sadler Bootcamp is a program that gets youth and adults engaged in having fun while going through an array of obstacles that increases physical strength, endurance and flexibility. This program has been favored by many youth and enjoyed by many adults. Participants always state they had a ton of fun doing all of the obstacles.
Smoothie Off is a unique and fun way to get youth and adults engaged in learning about nutrition, vitamin, minerals and alternatives to energy drinks. The workshop is hands-on and youth learn about the nutritional value in the things they drink, as well as the vitamins and minerals found in every day fruits, vegetable and nuts. Youth learn how to combine some of these drinks to provide a powerful nutritious drink that not only tastes good, but is more beneficial to the body as oppose to energy drinks. Youth have fun concocting their own unique smoothies and tasting others to gain better recipes to create on their own.
Training in some of the curriculum used in the state, such as S.T.E.P.S. to a Healthy Teen and Jump Into Foods and Fitness, helps provide teen leaders and volunteers resources for doing healthy living programming at the local level. Although this is just a snapshot of some of the many programs MSU Extension provides at the local level, it takes collaboration and teamwork to make these programs happen. If you’re interested in these programs, please contact anyone from the team for more information. Remember, MSU Extension is everywhere and we are here to help serve the community needs in this area of healthy living.
