Author: Nathan Saulter

In our last newsletter, we discussed how macros, micros, and phytos are important nutrients and substances that can improve our overall health when we incorporate healthy eating into our daily life. Now that we’re fueled up with great nutrition, it’s time to spring into action and increase our physical activity! With winter soon coming to a close and spring on the horizon, now is the perfect time to dust off your walking shoes and get moving. Long gone are the days of having to go to the gym for a full hour workout. Research has shown that simply incorporating more movement and physical activity into our daily life, even in short bouts, can have a tremendous impact on our physical and mental health. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park your car at a further spot and walk to your destination, stretch while you wait in line at the grocery store, or get up from your desk and run an errand at least once every 30 minutes. At MHealthy we love to say, “The best position is the next position!” Whether you sit or stand at your desk, stagnation is not the goal. Change your body position as much as possible in order to keep your body in ergonomic tip top shape. 60 minutes of daily physical activity (simple movement) is the goal and you can achieve these minutes collectively throughout the day. Need more motivation? Set a realistic goal for yourself and track your progress or invite a friend to join you! Happy Spring from PHS!

In the holiday spirit of giving back and being thankful for our local organizations that support student health and wellness, the Project Healthy Schools team came together in person on November 30, 2021 to spend the day volunteering at the Detroit-based Free Bikes 4 Kidz organization. Free Bikes 4 Kidz is a nonprofit organization geared toward helping all kids ride into a happier, healthier childhood by providing bikes to those in need. In 2021 alone, the organization collected almost 2,800 bikes which were then cleaned, maintained, and redistributed to underserved kids in the community. Over the last 4 years, FB4K has helped over 7,000 kids in the Detroit area receive a bike and a helmet. The PHS team spent the day cleaning newly arrived bikes so that they could be moved onward into the maintenance stage. We scrubbed, polished, and cleaned with great pride knowing our efforts would help serve this great organization in increasing the physical activity and health of our local youth. It was a great day!

The COVID-19 pandemic has further increased the need for social-emotional learning and mental health support for students and staff across the state of Michigan. To help support this need, the BHC:PHS program has partnered with another University of Michigan school-based program called TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students). In 2013, the University of Michigan initiated the TRAILS program to bring effective mental health care to school aged children and adolescents. BHC:PHS began to partner with TRAILS in 2020 with first offering all program schools access to the Teacher Self-Care Modules. With this program, PHS wellness coordinators facilitate four, 30-minute sessions, with school staff participants at individual schools to cultivate their own emotional wellness through learning opportunities, meaningful discussions, and short activities. In 2021, BHC:PHS expanded the TRAILS partnership and piloted their Tier 1 program to our 6 new BHC:PHS schools. This additional layer of programming provided social and emotional learning (SEL) for the classroom to promote resiliency and build self-regulation skills in all students. This new student curriculum offering, coupled with the self-care strategies for staff to counter stress and burnout, have had an enormous positive impact for our school communities. BHC:PHS is thrilled to announce that our partnership with TRAILS will continue onward as we further expand our collaborations into the 2022-2023 school year!