HealthCorps® Program Information
Nutrition Fitness Mental Resilience
HealthCorps Ambassadors (coordinators, volunteer celebrities and medical professionals) are leading the HealthCorps movement through school-based programs, outreach activities (such as community health fairs) and experiential campaigns across America.
School-Based Curriculum
Recent undergrads, called "HealthCorps Coordinators", defer medical school or other health related master programs to peer-mentor high school students for a one to two year assignment
Coordinators lead seminars in:
- Mental Resilience - "The YOU Factor" -
- Nutrition - "The Fundamentals of Food" & "Eating is Believing"
- Fitness - "Exercise Everywhere"
Outreach Activities:
HealthCorps Ambassadors and students create community events throughout the year such as health fairs, step contests and field trips.
Follow this link to our
"Events Page" to see photos from these activities.
Experiential Campaigns:
HealthCorps Ambassadors participate in awareness campaigns throughout the year to help families make healthy lifestyle choices.
Stay tuned for upcoming public campaigns!
The Science
"How Your Body Thinks"
HealthCorps teaches students to look at their bodies the way a scientist would through:
- The Evolution of An Eater
- Metabolic Motors: Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), or how many calories their body burns at rest
- The Science of Appetite
- The Digestive Highway
- The Biology of Fat: Why "Waist Is More Important Than Weight"
- "What the Media & Mirror Feed Us": Body Image
- "Supersize Me"
Nutrition
"You Are What You Eat"
HealthCorps teaches students to understand the importance of:
- Macronutrients: Water, Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats
- "Being Smart Consumers: Knowing What You Eat" - Learning how to read nutritional labels
- Whole Grains, Raw Foods
- Portion Control
- What Goes On In Their School Cafeteria
Students visit a local grocery store to evaluate the foods there and they are taught by visiting natural chefs.
Fitness
"Make the Move"
HealthCorps students learn how to maximize their caloric burn everyday by making simple lifestyle choices, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, getting off the subway a few stops earlier to walk, helping around the house with cooking and cleaning, and even dancing!
They learn to:
- Make The Move To Be Fit For Life
- Adore Their "Core"
- The Importance of Making Muscle
- Healthy Teeth, Healthy Hearts
All students are issued HealthCorps pedometers that help them set goals for their level of activity and number of steps taken daily and weekly. Students are introduced to concepts of strength training, the importance of stretching and flexibility, as well as the physical and mental benefits of yoga by utilizing videos such as the Dorm Room Diet posted in the Resources section of the website. This helps students understand that their bodies don’t require a gym or significant amounts of space to maintain strength.
According to Dr. Oz, "Human biology was designed to integrate an active body into the cultivation of a vibrant mind. We know that physical activity is linked with success in life, but is also the best predictor of longevity in life. If you want to get an A on the test or avoid Alzheimers, the role of physical activity in recruiting new neuronal connections into the endeavor is unparalleled. Sedentary lifestyle is the most important driver of childhood and young adult obesity that is mortgaging our nation's future.
"Working your body also teaches you to respect the importance of your food. It is also a wonderful path towards mental resilience which we must teach our youth to cope in the modern world."
Mental Resilience
Our mental resilience workshops are incorporated throughout our curriculum by promoting self-esteem, enhancing decision making and communication skills, fostering healthy relationships, and setting long-term goals. HealthCorps shows students the close relationship between physical health and mental health. HealthCorps enables children to make healthy choices to bolster mental well-being by teaching them:
- The Signs and Symptoms of Stress
- "You Are What You Think": The Power of Optimism
- "The Chemistry of Emotions: Food, Feeling & Fitness"
- "You Are What You Say": The Importance of Good Communication
- Problem Solving Tools: Making a Healthy You Turn!
