Why Nutrition and Physical Activity Matters to Me

By Natiya Ellison

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About Me:

My name is Natiya E. I have been going to Southeast High School for almost one year now. I like it here at Southeast because the friendly people and the teachers make learning fun. The people are also open-minded and caring. I have been with the YAHL program for almost a year as well. I also plan on joining the Leadership Team. Now I'm going to tell you why I think you should care about your health.

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Why you should be healthy:

I think nutrition and physical activity are important because the healthier you are, the better it can help you in the future. I like to keep my heart and lungs in amazing shape for now and in the future. My family and I keep in shape by walking around the park and playing sports such as basketball, football, and soccer. It's pretty fun! At school, we get physical activity by playing sports, physical education classes, lifting weights, and even walking down/up the stairs to our next class. Having access to this impacts me by keeping me and others from sitting all day. A policy we want to change is the school's food selection with more healthy options and choices. Some fruits and vegetables have mold or don't look appealing to eat, so students don't want to eat them. I think providing fresh fruit options would make students eat more, and it could help their brains when it comes to classroom work.

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Why it's important to be healthy:

I think others should care because it could make you feel happier with yourself or even have a stronger body like your heart, lungs, organs, liver, etc. I have become involved by talking to others about joining the YAHL program and what we do. I told others we could talk to the principal about asking for healthier food selections. Working with YAHL has highlighted why I should care about my physical health and the importance of healthy food options. If other students joined YAHL I think they would gain more knowledge about themselves and would want to tell friends and family about it too. I think you should support the policies we work on because it could make many more people healthy, even you.

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