William E Simon

Today's high-pressure childhoods cry out for every cognitive and emotional advantage that fitness can provide, but children are staring at screens, sitting on couches, and staying inside. William E. Simon Jr. examines the greatest threat to our children's health in America today: the deadly duo of obesity and inactivity. As a result of these perils, children today may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. With the help of world-renowned medical experts, the author investigates the causes and effects of this health crisis and looks at recent research revealing the extraordinary benefits that physical activity confers on a child's mind, body, and spirit. If we are to give children the healthy start in life they deserve, the author contends, schools--as the place where almost all children spend most of their waking hours--must play a greater role in teaching physical literacy and providing fitness resources. Learn why physical education is so important to children's well-being and how you can fight the growing epidemic of inactivity in Break a Sweat, Change Your Life.Advance Praise forBreak a Sweat, Change Your Life T]he current levels of obesity and inactivity in our children have become the most fearful enemies to their health. ... Break a Sweat, Change Your Life thoughtfully and constructively addresses the health crisis today's children are facing, calling on schools to implement adequate physical education programs at all grade levels in order to give our youth a strong start in life.From the foreword by Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, "the Father of Aerobics"Break a Sweat, Change Your Life takes a much-needed look at the deplorable lack of physical education in our nation's schools, identifying the science behind the need for robust PE programs, as well as ways to improve the situation. Bill Simon has spent decades attempting to revitalize physical education in schools, and everyone who cares about children should read his book.John J. Ratey, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain One of the best things we can do for our children is to make exercise a routine part of their lives. This is a highly readable, informative book that explains the huge physical, cognitive, and mental health benefits our children gain when we help them to stay active.Wendy A. Suzuki, PhD, Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University and author of Healthy Brain, Happy LifeA significant amount of scientific research has demonstrated that brains, minds, and bodies of the young all benefit from exercise. Outstanding physical education programs will give middle school and high school students the skills, knowledge, and motivation to stay fit over their lifetimes. Bill Simon makes an excellent case that physical education should be valued as highly as academic studies in our schools.Ming Guo, MD, PhD, Professor in Neurology and Pharmacology at UCLA David Geffen School of MedicinePhysical education means more than exercise. It means providing children with the knowledge and understanding they need to lead healthy lives through adequate exposure to the only subject in school that nurtures the body, mind, and spirit of students. Read this book, and learn what we all need to know to help grow sound minds and sound bodies for the sake of our country's future. John Naber, 1976 Olympic champion swimmer, broadcaster, author, and speaker.

Today's high-pressure childhoods cry out for every cognitive and emotional advantage that fitness can provide, but children are staring at screens, sitting on couches, and staying inside. William E. Simon Jr. examines the greatest threat to our children's health in America today: the deadly duo of obesity and inactivity. As a result of these perils, children today may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. With the help of world-renowned medical experts, the author investigates the causes and effects of this health crisis and looks at recent research revealing the extraordinary benefits that physical activity confers on a child's mind, body, and spirit. If we are to give children the healthy start in life they deserve, the author contends, schools--as the place where almost all children spend most of their waking hours--must play a greater role in teaching physical literacy and providing fitness resources. Learn why physical education is so important to children's well-being and how you can fight the growing epidemic of inactivity in Break a Sweat, Change Your Life.Advance Praise forBreak a Sweat, Change Your Life T]he current levels of obesity and inactivity in our children have become the most fearful enemies to their health. ... Break a Sweat, Change Your Life thoughtfully and constructively addresses the health crisis today's children are facing, calling on schools to implement adequate physical education programs at all grade levels in order to give our youth a strong start in life.From the foreword by Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, "the Father of Aerobics"Break a Sweat, Change Your Life takes a much-needed look at the deplorable lack of physical education in our nation's schools, identifying the science behind the need for robust PE programs, as well as ways to improve the situation. Bill Simon has spent decades attempting to revitalize physical education in schools, and everyone who cares about children should read his book.John J. Ratey, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain One of the best things we can do for our children is to make exercise a routine part of their lives. This is a highly readable, informative book that explains the huge physical, cognitive, and mental health benefits our children gain when we help them to stay active.Wendy A. Suzuki, PhD, Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University and author of Healthy Brain, Happy LifeA significant amount of scientific research has demonstrated that brains, minds, and bodies of the young all benefit from exercise. Outstanding physical education programs will give middle school and high school students the skills, knowledge, and motivation to stay fit over their lifetimes. Bill Simon makes an excellent case that physical education should be valued as highly as academic studies in our schools.Ming Guo, MD, PhD, Professor in Neurology and Pharmacology at UCLA David Geffen School of MedicinePhysical education means more than exercise. It means providing children with the knowledge and understanding they need to lead healthy lives through adequate exposure to the only subject in school that nurtures the body, mind, and spirit of students. Read this book, and learn what we all need to know to help grow sound minds and sound bodies for the sake of our country's future. John Naber, 1976 Olympic champion swimmer, broadcaster, author, and speaker.

Since 1965 the number of priests in the United States has fallen by some 30,000. But over that same time period, more than 30,000 laypeople have come into the employ of parishes and other Church institutions. Laypeople have stepped up to serve in a variety of new ministries, and they are relieving their pastors of many administrative burdens, enabling them to focus on their proper priestly duties. Lay teachers now outnumber nuns, brothers, and priests in Catholic schools by at least 19 to 1. In the history of the Church, laypeople have never been asked to do so much. William E. Simon, Jr. and Michael Novak call attention to this great shift in Living the Call. The first part of the book tells the personal stories of nine faithful laypeople now serving the Church in new and diverse ways. Simon and Novak's insight is that more and more who work in the Church feel the need to shape their lives in a new way, matched to their different needs and adjusted to the new base of knowledge about the world with which they begin. In response to this need, the second part of Living the Call offers practical examples and reflections on a number of themes, including entering into the presence of God and learning different forms of prayer, reading that refreshes the mind and deepens the soul, and the graces of the sacraments and how being a spouse contributes to holiness.