You gotta have heart!

It’s that time of year again: red roses, chocolates, and heart-shaped everything. Valentine’s Day is the time to celebrate the heart. As a physical education teacher, it’s a favorite time of year.

Physical education and Valentine’s Day go perfectly together. The heart is all about living and giving. In PE, our students learn that exercising regularly will keep their hearts strong to deliver oxygen to all of the body’s cells and organs. In addition, our students practice treating themselves and others with kindness and compassion as they set and reach new fitness and performance goals.

Last week, our kids met a special visitor with a lot of heart. Ryan Young, a fashion model from L.A., began running just a few years ago. As many of us do when we try something new, he started a bit hesitantly. He set small goals – 10 minutes at first. He discovered something he didn’t expect: an increase in energy, a boost in confidence. He soon realized that running a few minutes a day was changing how he lived the rest of his life. He set larger goals, and within four months he completed his first marathon.

Ryan came to Goose Bay, Knik and Machetanz Elementary schools last Friday to share a message about setting big goals, and working to achieve them. Ryan is in Alaska to run in the Susitna 100, a one hundred mile race through the wilderness, hauling one’s own survival gear for up to the 48 hours you are allowed to complete the mountainous course. That takes heart!

However, Ryan is not the only one with a 100-mile goal. Students in each of these three schools are members of the nationwide 100 Mile Club, with the goal of achieving 100 miles during the school year. On Friday, they ran together, sharing their goals and inspiring each other.

Our students are certainly inspiring. At this time of year, students from around the Valley are busy raising funds for the American Heart Association, to help strengthen the hearts of people they may never meet, and to honor those who have suffered from heart disease.

You may have heard about Jump Rope for Heart (JRFH). This annual awareness activity/ fundraiser takes place in schools all around the United States. Physical education and JRFH are partners in the fight against heart disease, as both strive to promote regular exercise, healthy food choices, and tobacco avoidance as lifetime habits. Yet, even in 2016, heart disease remains the #1 killer in the country.

There are positive signs, however. The rate of smokers has been declining in recent years, and efforts to create a smoke-free environment are making a difference. Last December, the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network reported that 69 percent of Alaskans support statewide smoke-free workplaces. I guess we’ve got to have heart that we can beat heart disease in our lifetimes.

There are so many great things happening in gyms and on playgrounds all around the Mat-Su. This weekend is the statewide Junior Native Youth Olympics competition in Chugiak, where many of our student athletes will proudly compete with heart and commitment. There is also a family snowshoe race coming up at Government Peak that is sure to get hearts pumping and families smiling.

Of course, you can learn about these events and more when you visit your child’s PE teacher at parent-teacher conferences this Friday. Be sure to visit the gym to discover how our children are building happier, healthier hearts through physical education.

Nancy Blake teaches physical education at Goose Bay Elementary.