Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy Halloween! I'm a gym teacher this year, for the third year in a row!

Weight Training in adolescence

There is a large contingency of people who believe that any weight training at an early age will stunt growth and lead to injury. There truth is that body weight exercise like pushups, situps, pull and chin ups, dips, and the use of elastic bands are vital to the muscular development of all children. Free weights and nautilus machines are the real problems. Those machines are meant for essentially 15 and up. Body weight exercise not only stregthens the target muscle, they also encorporate key stabilizing joints, and strengthening of the core. Soooooooooooo..........not only does moderate weight training help with overall strength, it PREVENTS injury from occuring.

Tip of the Week: Take your child to a yoga or pilates class. They are offered at almost all YMCA's and other fitness clubs. Show them the importance of strength and lengthening of the muscles as well.

Fitness Testing

We have just finished up another week of fitness testing here at Norton Middle School. I was amazed at the participation level, and at the effort most of the kids put forth. It motivates us to want to teach! We have girls and boys who can do over 50 pushups, and then turn around and run a mile in under 6 minutes! I would like to challenge parents to use the tools given to your children and possibly workout with them. It's a nice activity to do with your kids, and running is 100% free! Ideas for a nice run: Mansfield has a lovely center of town, with a bike and running path. Go and explore this scenic little path right in your backyard. If you know of any running paths in Norton, please comment for ideas. Thanks!

Mr. Brito

Roadrunner's Club

Hopefully everyone had a nice weekend. Go PATS. I would like to take a minute and plug the Roadrunner's club and the efforts of the children participating. The dedication and hard work they show me on a daily basis is a wonderful site. I look forward to running with these girls and boys every intramural session and want more to come! All you have to do is sign up for intramurals and you can run with us. We will be running the Norton 5K, sponsored by my own track team. Come out and support a great cause. More info to come......