Better Health and Fitness at School

Learning Forward Saturday

May 30, 3:00 pm, 45 min

 

Dhruv Mehrotra from FittGen presented a comprehensive fitness program for schools, emphasising the importance of health and fitness. The program, which includes tests for various parameters like hand-eye coordination and agility, costs ₹1,500 per child per year within Tamil Nadu and ₹2,500 outside Tamil Nadu. Dhruv highlighted a 95% improvement in children's fitness due to the program. He also discussed accommodating children with medical conditions and the importance of gradual fitness improvements. The session concluded with a discussion on the benefits of yoga and daily exercise routines for teachers and students.

Action items

  - Implement the Fit Generation fitness programme at Prateeksha’s school within the next 15–21 days, including providing iPads and the curriculum and ensuring the school follows the structured programme.

  - Share your email ID and phone number with the group so teachers can message or call you with any questions about the Fit Generation programme.

  - Share the nutrition plan that was previously sent with the parents so they can follow it for their children’s health.

Here are the questions asked during the meeting and the answers given (speaker noted where available):

1. Q: Can you share the PPT? (technical/help request)  

   A: Sneha Pundir offered to share the PPT and successfully did so so that Dhruv could present.

2. Q: What are the programme commercials/costs? (Brinda)  

   A: Dhruv — Cost depends on location and school size. For schools within Tamil Nadu and with >1000 students: ₹1,500 per child per year. For schools outside Tamil Nadu: ₹2,500 per child per year (higher due to the possibility of coaches needing to relocate). There is variation (example: a ₹500 increment in some cases) depending on numbers and logistics.

3. Q: Why is the cost less for Tamil Nadu? (Brinda / Speaker)  

   A: Dhruv — Lower because coaches/local support are available; outside Tamil Nadu, extra cost accounts for coach relocation or finding local staff.

4. Q: How do you reach children from different/disadvantaged backgrounds (NGO schools, rural children) who may have different home situations? (Brinda)  

   A: Dhruv — Every child can benefit from basic daily movement; the programme uses simple exercises and technology for tracking so teachers can monitor progress. Even minimal, regular basic movements produce improvement. Fittgen adapts the curriculum to the school context.

5. Q: Can the programme work in schools that cannot spare daily timetable slots? Can children follow routines from home? (Brinda)  

   A: Dhruv — Yes. The programme is flexible; there are app-based sessions and routines that children (and parents) can follow at home if school time is constrained.

6. Q: Are there accommodations for students with medical conditions (e.g., diabetes)? (Minakshi Prasad)  

   A: Dhruv — The first step is medical identification by a doctor. Most conditions (including many cases of diabetes related to obesity) can be helped with gradual diet control and basic movement. Exercise plans must be gradual and tailored; severe conditions (e.g., certain heart conditions) may need medical clearance. FittGen also refers nutritionists (with discounts) and can work with medical partners (Apollo Shine Foundation mentioned for non-invasive tests).

7. Q: How to motivate or give tips to adult teachers for maintaining fitness/energy? (Brinda)  

   A: Dhruv — Daily 30 minutes of basic yoga/pranayama/walking and a modest diet change can yield large benefits. He shared personal/family examples (his parents’ improved health) and recommended making fitness a daily habit.

8. Q: Do you tie the programme into the school timetable and ensure mandatory participation? (Brinda / re: Vellumal school example)  

   A: Dhruv — The programme is designed to be integrated into school schedules; FittGen works with schools to make it mandatory and slot it into timetables. If schools can’t provide daily slots, app/home routines are an alternative.

9. Q: For Prateeksha’s school: Will you implement Fit Gen there soon? (implied by Dharma/Prateeksha)  

   A: Dhruv — Yes; he confirmed a visit/implementation in about 15–21 days, and provided iPads and curriculum, asking the school to follow the programme.

10. Q: How are students’ fitness parameters tracked and reported? (implied from presentation/teacher queries)  

    A: Dhruv — FittGen tests multiple parameters (height, weight, speed, endurance, flexibility, agility, reaction, coordination, balance, strength), provides dashboards and individually measured report cards, and gives teachers analysis to focus training where students lack skills.

11. Q: Can parents be involved, and are there nutrition plans? (Minakshi / others)  

    A: Minakshi — She had shared a nutrition plan with parents.  

    A: Dhruv — FittGen provides nutrition charts at the beginning of the year and refers nutritionists (with discounts) to support families.

12. Q: Are there medical/health partners for testing? (implied)  

    A: Dhruv — Yes; Apollo Shine Foundation was mentioned as a medical partner for non-invasive tests when needed.

Notes courtesy of Otter AI

Mould the Future: Intellectually sharp, mentally alert, spiritually elevated and physically fit children

The effort to acquire human perfections is not only linked to loving support and encouragement, a disciplined environment, and direct study of the Word of God, but also to engagement in the arts and sciences, hard work, the capacity to overcome hardships, and the development of the capacity to serve others.

Education must provide the children with the advantage of every useful kind of knowledge. Let them share in every new, rare and incredible craft of art in realizing own self. It must bring them up to work and strive, and accustom them to hardship. We must teach them to dedicate their lives to matters of great import, and inspire them to undertake studies that will benefit mankind and so the individual’s fulfilment lies in contributing to society. The ability to judge the difference between right and wrong is the self-realization. Spiritual development is that essential element of education which enables the children to realize the social responsibilities and leads a man to become a leader.

To accomplish every task, the physical fitness of children facilitates to synchronize with all other feature like mental steadiness, moral values and regular improvement. Physical fitness enriches the psychological condition. Only physical fitness or mental fitness cannot restore each other as these are two diverse essentials, but both are necessitated to each other. Education through sports and physical activities is the aim of physical education and not only winning matches. The overall development of a child is not merely teaching subjects, playing sports and learning other skills. Physical fitness enhances mental alertness. A child cannot be alert if he is physically unhealthy and alike cannot be physically fit if he is mentally disturbed.

I strongly believe education is an overwhelming need which aims to develop and nurture tomorrow’s leaders intellectually sharp, mentally alert, spiritually elevated and physically fit children.

One day in the public garden I see, on a small patch of grass under some trees, a father and a two-year-old girl. The father is lying down; the little girl runs everywhere. What a joy to run! Suddenly she stops, looks intently at the ground, bends down, picks something up. A twig! A pebble! She stands up, runs again, sees a pigeon, chases it, suddenly stops and looks up into the sunlit trees... Seeing what? – Perhaps a squirrel, perhaps a bird, perhaps just the shape and colours of the leaves in the sun. Then she bends down, finds something else, picks it up and examines. A leaf!! - Another miracle.

Gears, twigs, leaves, little children love the world. That is why they are so good at learning about everything. For it is love, not tricks and techniques of thought that lies at the heart of all true learning. Wonder, why we always try to teach which they don’t like and don’t teach what they love. We teach by our brain without even realizing that learn everything by heart. If we give them access to enough of the world, including our own lives and work in that world, they will see what things are truly important to us and to others. They will make for themselves a better path into that world than we could make for them.

“A school is a building that has four walls and a tomorrow inside which aims to mould the future.”

Dr Gautam Mukherjee | Co-Founder & CEO

Sportify Sports Education & Management Services Pvt. Ltd.

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