A new community partnership is bringing Blythedale Children’s Hospital and the Kohl’s “Eat Well, Be Well” afterschool program to fifth-graders in Ossining.
The first of two six-week sessions began February 27 when registered dietitian Marie Roth of Blythedale reviewed such daily healthy lifestyle habits as eating five fruits and vegetables and exercising 60 minutes.
She played a song and asked the children to invent a dance move for classmates to imitate. Roth explained that the heart works harder during exercise because it is delivering oxygen, nutrients and blood to muscles.
Noting that the body is one’s house, she said. “You only get one house. You’ve got to take good care of it.”
Social worker Nicole Nardizzi of Village Therapy Group in Briarcliff Manor, a mindfulness-based stress-reduction instructor, introduced students to yoga, mindful breathing and mindful listening.
“Remember, it’s cool to be calm because you can make better decisions and enjoy life a little more,” she said.
After the session with Nardizzi, student Luis Flores said, “…it helps me release my stress …They taught me to breathe in and breathe out...”
“Eat Well, Be Well,” which is funded by Kohl’s, has reached more than 100,000 children in the greater metropolitan region since 2006.
