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In assembly this week we talked about our New Year’s Resolutions, where we all agreed that it was a really good idea for everyone at school to try to be just a little bit more awesome this year than we were last year. Perhaps a difficult one to measure, but why not? Let’s go for it. If everyone in our school community is just a tiny bit more awesome, think what we could achieve!

Apart from that, the usual resolutions came up – be better organized and get a bit fitter.

I made a brilliant start to the first of these this week with a fastidious tidy up and organisation of my office. I suggested to children that if they wanted to see just how organised my office really is, all they have to do is either be really good, or be really naughty – although I’d prefer the former.

The other one is a bit harder to crack. Last year Britain officially became the most obese nation in Western Europe, with obesity rates rising faster than any other developed nation. Child and teenage obesity levels have risen ten-fold in the last four decades. Obese children are likely to become obese adults, at risk of serious health problems, including type-2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.  There is every motivation to make sure our children are fit and healthy.

It seems as if everyone is trying to come up with a fitness plan to kick-start the New Year. So with this in mind, I’ve taken the time and trouble to write my own Highgate Primary plan for fitness, health and wellbeing. Rather creatively, it’s called ‘The Highgate Primary exercise a bit more and eat less bad stuff diet’. The plan involves two simple steps:

  1. Attend John’s morning ‘Run a Mile’
  2. Eat less bad stuff (unless there happens to be a class cake sale)

This plan has been designed to get everyone fit and healthy, and hopefully reverse the impact of my Christmas overindulgence. All it requires is the will power to stick to it, and although it’s called ‘Run-a-mile’, you don’t even need to run.

I’ve made a resolution to give it a go, lead by example, get out in the playground twice a week and not eat all the staffroom biscuits. Perhaps easier said than done, after all, most gym memberships have lapsed by February. Let’s see how we get on over the coming months…

William