NFL Players Inspire Schools to Get Healthy Through the Fuel Up to Play 60 Initiative

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Schools across the country are getting excited about Fuel Up to Play 60 a school based initiative–organized through the National Football League (NFL) and the  National Dairy Council (NDC)–that encourages students in grades K-12 to eat healthy foods, participate in at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity, and to lead school wellness initiatives.

As of 2012, the group reported that 11 million students in 73,000 schools nationwide were participating in the program which uses social marketing and a six-step approach to improve student health.

Fuel up to Play 60‘s six-steps to improving school health are:

1. Join the League- register on-line and spread the word about Fuel Up to Play 60;
2. Build Teams and Draft Players– get other students or even the whole school involved;
3. Kickoff– Host a kickoff event to raise awareness on the importance of healthy eating and physical activity;
4. Survey the Field-  conduct a survey to learn how school health can be improved;
5. Game Time- Use the “playbook”–a list of tools and resources–to create and implement a plan for better health; and
6. Light Up the Scoreboard-share successes and get ideas from others.

The program’s playbook was developed using input from Fuel Up to Play 60 student ambassadors, educators, researchers, parent wellness advocates, dieticians and fitness professionals.

Incentives, celebrity appearances from NFL football players, and funding are provided for schools that excel at creating an active and nutritious learning environment for children.

See more on how Fuel Up to Play 60 is making a difference in schools.