The FIT Platform for Kids

What does "fitness" look like to you? Does it mean being able to do 25 sit-ups? Eating vegetables with dinner? Being thin like a supermodel, or having muscles like an athlete? 

Many kids think that eating and exercise are the 2 most important things that make a person fit. But there's more to fitness. Being fit also means taking care of how you feel so you can deal with your problems and not worry a lot. Being fit means getting enough rest so your body keeps working.

Real fitness helps you do everything you want to do and have fun, too. It can help you grow up to be who you want to be.

The trick is figuring out how to really be fit. That's where the FIT Platform comes in.

4 Parts of a FIT Life

The FIT Platform divides fitness into 4 parts.

• FOOD = What and how much you're eating
• MOVE = Exercise, playing, and physical activity
• RECHARGE = Chilling out and sleeping
• MOOD = Your feelings about yourself, other people, and what's happening

Each FIT Part Has to Work With the Others

Each part of the FIT Platform affects your health. And each part also affects the other parts of the FIT Platform.

It’s like puzzle pieces fitting together. Every piece is important. And pieces have to match up with the ones next to them to make the whole picture.

• Eating FOOD that's good for you gives you energy to MOVE.
• Balancing the FOOD you eat with how you MOVE your body helps you stay at a healthy weight.
• When you get enough sleep and RECHARGE your body, it helps you handle your MOOD.
• And being in a good MOOD helps you make healthier FOOD choices. It also helps you get plenty of sleep to RECHARGE your body so you'll have energy later.
• When you MOVE your body every day, you sleep better. This helps you RECHARGE.
• When you RECHARGE your body with rest and sleep, it's easier to choose healthy FOOD and to MOVE more.

When all 4 FIT parts go together, you can be healthy and live well. And when any 1 of the 4 parts of fitness is missing or not quite right, you could get sick or not feel good.

Most kids understand that being healthy is important. But they don't always know how to do that. To be healthy, make time for these 4 things every day.

To learn more about putting all 4 parts of the FIT Platform together, read The FIT Connection for Kids.