LoloWiki

By Pat Shaver

About 250 middle school students representing 46 schools attended the Super-Power Summit at the Polk County Convention Complex on Wednesday, an all-day event aimed at teaching them how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

And guess who had them jumping and stretching?

"You only get one body to live your life in, and you have to get out and be active," said Olympic athlete Lolo Jones, keynote speaker of the event.
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Before she spoke, Jones taught the kids a few different exercises.

"I run track, and I'm a little tired," she said after the exercises.

Jones compared the body to a race car. Drivers, she said, fill up their cars with premium gas and don't leave the car in the garage until the day of the race.

Each school had two to nine students at the event.

Carrie Scheidel, a member of Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids, which helped plan and fund the event, said the goal was for the students to take what they learned back to their peers.

"Middle school kids have a lot of pressures. Nutrition and physical activity can really help them shine," Scheidel said.

Each school that attended is eligible to apply for a grant for up to $1,500. Scheidel said the students will meet with a teacher and come up with a wellness plan for their school and then apply for the grant.

The hope is for the students to create small changes that they can keep going over the school year, Scheidel said. The grants are funded by the Midwest Dairy Council, Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids and the Iowa Department of Education.

Jayde Murray, 13, from Goodrell Middle School, said she is going to try to get her friends and family to exercise more, and avoid fast food.

"I was excited to hear about what else you could do to exercise, and you can get more energetic from eating fruits and vegetables," Murray said.

Nicole Gibson, 13, and Colby Knight, 14, from Urbandale Middle School, hope to influence their peers to get outside and eat healthy.

"If you give up a short-term pleasure for long-term gain, it can help you be a better athlete," Gibson said.

Jones said her favorite foods were chicken wings, baby carrots and cottage cheese. Her hero is her assistant Kim, who used to run track and has always been an inspiration.

"Just because you're from Iowa doesn't mean you can't be a superstar at the national level," Jones said. "That never deterred me from my dreams. I never gave up."

Source: The Des Moines Register