Happy New Year! As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season wind down, many of us look to the new year as a chance to start fresh; to begin that new dietary regime or workout program. We promise ourselves that this will REALLY be the year that we stick to our resolutions!

The theme for this month is "Winter Health Promotion and Healthy New Year Resolutions." This section provides links and suggestions to help encourage you and your students to get active, keep New Year's resolutions, and avoid the most serious of illnesses this winter. Also, as 2006 is a Winter Olympics year, many of our students will display an increased interest in various winter activities. We should capitalize on this enthusiasm to help get students active and involved.

Ed Kupiec
Secondary Section Editor

Winter Activity Guidelines - This article provides tips on staying motivated during the winter, ideas for indoor and outdoor activity, and suggestions for dressing for the elements and staying safe.

Nothing brings a great New Year's resolution or workout program to a halt faster than a cold or flu.

Winter Exercise is More Important - In this article from The Tribune, India, Dr. Ravinder Chadha explains that it may be more hazardous NOT to exercise during the winter.

Winter Health Tips - The Illinois Department of Public Health provides information on colds, the flu, hypothermia, and frostbite.

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Winter Depression Throughout the centuries, poets have described a sense of sadness, loss and lethargy which can accompany the shortening days of fall and winter. Many of us notice tiredness, a bit of weight gain, difficulty getting out of bed and bouts of "the blues" as fall turns to winter.

However some people experience an exaggerated form of these symptoms. - source:site

Read this rest of this article to help you better understand signs and symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder - Here is another very good article on this disorder. Find out how common this problem is.

You will probably find everything you need to know about Seasonal Affective Disorder at MedlinePlus.

29 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep - If you are having sleep problems, whether you're not able to fall asleep, wake up too often, don't feel well-rested when you wake up in the morning, or simply want to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep, try any of these techniques as possible.

The fact that winter is here does not necessarily mean that we are "stuck" indoors for 4 months. Sure, we might have our basketball and volleyball units, and in these there is obvious value. However, students can participate in these activities year-round.

In contrast, there are plenty of excellent opportunities to be active outdoors that are available only during the winter months. Below, you will find some suggestions to make outdoor winter activities an enjoyable experience for your students. Thanks to Tom Winiecki for the page format of these links! If you have your own ideas, please send them to me.

Winter Orienteering - A great way to combine traditional activities!

Broomball - Try this for an outdoor team-passing game alternative!

Biathlon/Triathlon - Another opportunity to combine skills and activities!

Winter Adventure - A great "last chance" to reach juniors and seniors!

Field Trips - Many communities have some excellent opportunities available!

New! Teens Today Study - Almost half of America’s high school teens report parental inattention to what they consider to be key transitions during their adolescence, according to a new SADD/Liberty Mutual study released today. The study suggests that this lack of timely parental involvement in important "rites of passage" comes with a high price tag: the potential for dangerous behaviors that can lead to illness, injury, or death as teens seek alternative milestones to demonstrate growing maturity and independence. Read the rest...

Smashed: Toxic Tales of Teens and Alcohol - HBO Family's hard-hitting documentary, with an accompanying community kit, will be automatically shipped FREE to all registered SADD chapters in Spring 2005. This project is being used to combat the high incidence of teen crashes nationwide

SADD's Annual Conference - Make plans to attend the 2006 SADD National Conference, July 14-17, 2006, Boston Marriott Cambridge. 2006 SADD National Conference registration materials will be mailed in February.

The Assassination of Our Youth
Reported by Peter Jennings, ABC News.
SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are the pharmaceutical companies latest cash cows. Their use has skyrocketed in the last ten years. Nicknamed "Chemical Babysitters" and designated anti depressants, they are causing dozens of murders, thousands of psychoses, and are altering the minds of millions of users.

All but a very few of the latest "Mass Murderers" have been on these drugs. Schools encourage parents to put their children on these drugs for the smallest signs of "non conformity." Schools receive more money for "disabled" students. Read the rest...

A fatal flaw - When anti-depressants hurt more than they help, even doctors might not recognize something is wrong. Here's what you need to know to prevent a tragedy.

Hard to Swallow - Read the ads and you'll think relief from the black cloud of depression is just a pill away. But if you consult the scientific record and look at the medical trials the pills have gone through, you'll see a much scarier story.

Top Ten Resolutions - According to Kimberly & Albrecht Powell. here are the top 10 New Year's Resolutions in Pittsburgh, PA .

Make Your New Year Fitness Plan Stick - Lynn Bode, CFT, provides his tips to make a New Year's resolution successful.

10 Bad Excuses - Susan Swimmer lists the top 10 "worst" excuses for not exercising, taken from a survey conducted by FitLinxx.

New Year's Goals - This site discusses attainable and unattainable New Year's resolutions and statistics.

The 2006 Winter Olympic Games will be held in Torino, Italy from February 11-26. Many of our students will be watching at least a sport or two with great interest. Below are a few resources you may wish to share with interested students. These could serve as excellent resources for alternative assignments.

2006 Official Site - This site is the official English-language site for the 2006 Games.

U.S. Olympic Team - This site provides information on all the U.S. Olympic sports, history, and tips on how to get involved in the various sports.

Tips from the Athletes - This site provides students with sport-specific tips from the Olympic athletes and their coaches.

Winter Olympics 2002 - This site provides background history on the Winter Olympic games and other Olympic-related sites.

Winter Olympic Games Project - This lesson idea was posted on PE Central by Meredith Alexander.

Olympic Jeopardy! - This is a PowerPoint Presentation setup as a Jeopardy board that is about the 2002 Olympics in Utah.