At Healthy Youth Field Day, exercising and eating right have never been so fun
Back in the day — way back — there was no Xbox, no Instagram, no Snapchat. No Minecraft, TikTok, Alexa. The only thing getting your attention on a free day from school was your mom yelling, "Go outside and play. Now!"
You hopped aboard your Sting-Ray bicycle (clothespins holding the playing cards tight to the spokes for maximum surround sound), rode to the nearest dirt-patch baseball field, and you didn't come home until dusk was closing in and the streetlights came on.
Participants at Healthy Youth Field Day
Today, the couch cushions are indented, the phones are always the newest model, and gaming is a career.
So earlier this year, Aspire Health and Montage Health Foundation decided to turn back the kid clock with the second-annual Healthy Youth Field Day at Cardinale Stadium, home of the Monterey Bay Football Club professional soccer team.
“It’s very fulfilling to hear the unbridled joy kids have when they’re engaged in active play, not a screen in sight, no bent necks looking at phones,” says Tyler Munson, Chief Executive Officer of Aspire Health. “It’s reminiscent of many of our childhoods. Being outside all day, coming back dirty, sweaty, your clothes torn. The sign of a good day.”
Healthy Youth Field Day, which had its inaugural event last year, brings together Monterey County kids and classrooms that participate in Aspire Health’s Don’t Feed the Diabetes school education curriculum, as well as Montage Health’s Kids Eat Right program.
Both programs provide fun, engaging education in schools and the community that teaches kids and families healthy lifestyle habits like eating right and exercising to avoid chronic health issues such as diabetes and obesity.
“I said, ‘Did you know you’re going to play with Monterey Bay Football Club players today?’” says Yasmine Elsherbini, Director of Community Health and Wellness in Aspire’s Population Health division. “And one kid said, ‘I know, I’m going to go easy on them.’”
The interaction with the Monterey Bay Football Club players was the "1" part of the American Academy of Pediatrics "5210" framework — 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 hours or less of recreational screen time, 1 hour of physical exercise, and 0 sugary drinks — that guided the day's activities, which were funded by Montage Health Foundation.
It's very fulfilling to hear the unbridled joy kids have when they're engaged in active play, not a screen in sight, no bent necks looking at phones. It's reminiscent of many of our childhoods. Being outside all day, coming back dirty, sweaty, your clothes torn. The sign of a good day.
— Tyler Munson, Chief Executive Officer, Aspire Health
“A key pillar of the foundation’s grant-making strategy is to strengthen community health,” says Carrie Creasey, Community Engagement Officer for Montage Health Foundation. “Diabetes and pre-diabetes have been identified as some of the top health issues in Monterey County. We want to build programs that address this health issue and make them accessible at no cost. We’re proud to be a partner.”
Children participating in Healthy Youth Field Day
During this year's field day, the foundation operated stop "2," complete with bubbles, to keep young minds off their cell phones.
"I love that our team can feel that direct connection to the work that we're supporting in the community," Creasey says. "I was at the bubble station and one boy actually said, ‘This is the most fun I've ever had.'"
Sounds like something from way back in the day.
Healthy habits start early
Aspire Health creates fun and engaging education for kids using pediatrician-recommended and family-focused approaches to inspire lifelong healthy habits.
Don't Feed the Diabetes
Aspire's free diabetes education program for Monterey County classrooms takes children of all ages on a journey that explores what type 2 diabetes is, what causes it, prevention tips, and setting SMART goals — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Healthy Together
Aspire's pediatric wellness program is led by expert health and well-being coaches at no cost to eligible families with six engaging session topics:
- Healthy plate
- Screen time, stress, and sleep
- Get active
- Sugar smart
- Meal planning and cooking
- SMART goal setting
Learn your diabetes risk.
