The adolescent years are crucial for building the foundation of effective self care. Research has shown over and over that childhood obesity and unhealthy living habits track though into adult life. It is essential that the opportunity to guide our teens is not lost. During the early teen years there is a marked shift in attitude towards personal appearance. This is mainly based on perceived peer and social opinion.  Girls often develop social physique anxiety and often aim for arbitrary, unrealistic goals of what they think they believe they should look like.  Healthy and active living in turn is viewed as a punishment and is stripped of all the enjoyment thereof.

Educating teens about self care, healthy and active living and how it is relevant to them in a school setting is very important because the students internalise that this is a vital part of living productive, effective and successful lives. They learn to accept themselves as they are, value their own personal abilities and become intrinsically motivated to lead independent, effective, healthy lifestyles.

Small personal training groups in school of groups up to 10 pupils ensure that the groups are small enough that pupils all receive adequate attention and learn to work optimally as a group.

My aim is to facilitate the development of independent healthy and active lifestyles whereby the girls become their own personal life coaches and truly understand the importance of active and healthy living, self care and its relevance in their individual lives.

I have devised a scheme whereby only short windows of time are actually necessary for this- 20 minute periods are sufficient so that the pupils get toexperience the education that they receive across the curriculum. This helps the teens to internalise the messages that they have received in their biology, kinesiology and nutrition sessions and social and emotional well being classes. Incorporating these sessions in a school setting is very important because it ensure that the girls internalise the need and relevance for self care and healthy living within their own familiar setting.