Fitnessworx for Schools
Helping students adopt a healthy lifestyle early will have a tremendous impact on their physical, intellectual, emotional and social development.

Fitnessworx is all about BEING ACTIVE and HAVING FUN. Fitnessworx offer an alternative to sport-specific activity. SPORT is not for everyone – but physical activity needs to be a regular part of a student’s daily routine, to provide the foundation for a long, healthy life.

Physical Activity that’s not sport? Huh?
When it comes to getting active, for too long now, students have been presented with the same old options – netball, footy, cricket etc. And whilst these options definitely get you moving – for students that fear the competitive nature of many team sports, the inspiration to get active is quickly overcome by the impact of a negative experience, for example, always being picked last.

Well, Fitnessworx is here to show that there are many other paths to getting active. From dance to circus, cheerleading to bootcamp, frisbee to skipping and team based challenges such as “The Fitnessworx Amazing Race” or “Cell Phone Scavenger Hunt” – Fitnessworx prove everyone can benefit from physical activity and have loads of fun at the same time!

Fitnessworx programs are successful because they cater to children of varying levels of fitness and skill. Based on the theory of inclusive education and with a strong focus on FUN, the programs even appeal to the traditionally inactive. Fitnessworx activities develop transferable fundamental motor skills; the sessions are conducted in a safe and encouraging team-based environment and everyone is provided with that opportunity to achieve success.

These Fitnessworx activity programs have been successfully incorporated within school PE programs, transition days, school camps, gala/expo days, school sports days and school incursions to name a few. Student Engagement and Wellbeing programs have also been an area in which our activities have been successful, especially if the objective has been one of team building/working together or increasing student connectedness and motivation. Fitnessworx activities, such as the below, can all be designed specifically to suit each school’s desired outcomes:

• The Fitnessworx Amazing Race
• Fitnessworx and a Minute 2 Win It
• Fitnessworx Cell Phone Scavenger Hunt
• other activities that have been successful in team building include: Circus, African Body Beat, Bootcamp 

Off the Sporting Field and into the Classroom…
“Active Learning” - Physical Activity worx ACROSS the Curriculum too

Whilst the Health and Physical Education syllabus seems an obvious starting point for the inclusion of a Fitnessworx activity – there are so many other beneficial ways of incorporating “activity” in the classroom, and across other core units of the curriculum.

“Active Learning” refers to techniques where students do more than simply listen. Students are DOING something, including discovering, processing, and applying information. Active learning derives from two basic assumptions: (1) that learning is by nature an active endeavor and (2) that different people learn in different ways. Research shows greater learning is achieved when students engage in “active learning”. In addition to the obvious advantages of information retention many research studies show that there will be improvements in:

• student-school connectedness,
• student-student connectedness,
• academic achievement (i.e., grades),
• communication skills,
• higher-level thinking skills,
• teamwork,
• attitude towards the subject and motivation to learn.

Fitnessworx has worked with primary and secondary schools, across all year levels, in the design, development and implementation of extended “active learning” programs and “interactive workshops” that meet key learning objectives across a range of subject areas.

As an example, Fitnessworx was invited to design an extended “active learning” session on Muscles and The Human Body. The students took part in an interactive case study: “Muscles in Action” exploring what it took for Olympic gold-medal sprinter Usain Bolt to go from stationary to running 100m in less than 10 seconds!? This was followed by a “Fitnessworx Amazing Muscle Race” where students worked in small teams, completing a combination of physical and mental challenges, in an attempt to cross the finish line first! The challenges were designed using several different learning styles, ensuring all kids would have an opportunity to shine! Success required working as a team, having an eagerness to learn, a knowledge of muscles and a bit of luck!

The program was a huge success, and the feedback we received from the school reflected our own belief in the importance, and benefits, of incorporating active learning across all subjects within the school curriculum - illustrating that there is definitely a place for physical activity in our classrooms!

For Further Information, please contact: Simone Minett Director Fitnessworx PL 1300 668 338 www.fitnessworx.com.au