Dear pupils of Berkley 1st School,
First of all I would like to say what lucky children you are to live in such a beautiful part of the country. When I was a little girl I came to stay in Berkley in the summer holidays with my cousin who lived with her family in Church Farm just opposite your school. I had lovely time playing in the fields and being with the animals. On Sundays we always went to Berkley Church and I remember thinking it was the prettiest church I had ever seen. Several of my relations are buried in the graveyard.
I have been interested in all forms of movement, exercise, dance and sport since I was a very little girl. Having mostly boys in our large family, turned me into a bit of a tom boy, and with my long legs I could keep up with them most of the time which irratated them a bit!
The time to start looking after our bodies is when we are children, if we want to grow up into healthy adults. The secret of a good lifestyle is to eat a varied, well balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Try not to eat too much sugarey and fatty foods. I know that’s difficult because many of the things we love, like cakes, biscuits and sweets are made of sugar and fat. But they are bad for our teeth and can make us fat and spotty. Those things give us energy for a few minutes and then we are hungry again! But if we eat things like cereals and wholemeal bread, beans and pulses they are full of high fibre, which gives us lots of energy which lasts for hours and hours. Eating too much animal fat which is contained in red meats is bad for us and can cause heart problems and make us fat. It’s healthier to eat more fish and chicken instead.
What we drink is important too. Milk contains calcium which builds strong bones and teeth when we are children. Calcium is also in foods like cheese and Yogurt, so eat plenty of those. Water is essential to stop us dehydrating and feeling faint when we get too hot. It’s better to drink ordinary water than Cola and the other sweet fruity drinks because water doesn’t rot our teeth. It also washes out many of the impurities from our bodies which is what happens when we go to the toilet. When we overeat, the excess food simply gets stored up as fatty deposits around our bodies, which makes us look out of shape and spotty. It can also cause tummy problems making us feel full up, tired and lazy.
Having an active body and an active alert mind is very important. We all need to do some regular moderate exercise every day to keep fit. Three good things happen when we exercise and they all begin with S. We get stronger, more supple and we have more stamina. But exercise must be fun so make sure you enjoy what you are doing and try to get your family and friends to do it with you.
It could be cycling, swimming, aerobic classes, jogging, dancing or if you prefer, playing a team sport like football or volleyball. Any activity which gets us up off our bottoms and keep us moving is good! Taking the dog for a walk is good too. Better still let the dog take you for a walk. I bet he can run faster than you can!
Do you know what a couch potato is? It’s someone who sits down in front of the TV or computer for hours on end. They don’t move very much and usually eat bags of crisps and sweets and drink too much Cola whilst they stare at the screen. Very unhealthy! It’s so much better to go out into the fresh air and run about and have fun. Older children may think it big to do booze and drugs. Take it from me too much alcohol dulls the mind and drugs poison our bodies. So please don’t ever be tempted to act big and take them
Leading a healthy lifestyle is mostly common sense
So KEEP ON KEEPING FIT!
With my love.
Green Goddess