Sleep, Eat, Move: The Three Pillars of Feeling Your Best

Did you know your brain grows while you sleep? When you are 6 years old, your brain uses more than half of all the energy your body makes! That is why what you eat, how much you sleep, and how often you move your body matter so much. Kids who get enough sleep, eat colorful foods, and play outside every day do better in school and feel happier — scientists have measured it.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to: - Explain why sleep helps your brain and body grow - Name three types of healthy foods and what each one does - Say how many minutes of moving kids your age need every day - Make a simple plan to practice all three healthy habits

While you sleep, amazing things happen inside you: - Your brain sorts through everything you learned that day and stores it as a memory. - Your body releases growth hormones that help your muscles and bones get bigger. - Your immune system — the part that fights germs — gets stronger. Kids ages 6 to 12 need 9 to 12 hours of sleep every night. If you wake up at 7 in the morning, you should be asleep by 9 or 10 at night at the latest. Staying up late to watch videos actually makes it harder to remember what you studied. Your brain needs sleep to save new information, just like pressing 'save' on a computer.

Food is fuel — but different colored foods do different jobs: - Orange and yellow foods (carrots, mangoes, sweet potatoes) contain vitamin A, which keeps your eyes healthy. - Green foods (spinach, peas, broccoli) are packed with iron and calcium that build strong bones and blood. - Red and purple foods (strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes) have antioxidants that protect your cells like tiny shields. - Whole grains (oats, brown rice, whole-wheat bread) give you steady energy all day — unlike candy, which causes a quick burst of energy followed by a crash. - Protein (eggs, beans, chicken, nuts) builds and repairs your muscles. Try to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables at every meal. Doctors say that one habit alone makes a bigger health difference than almost any other change kids can make.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says kids ages 6 to 17 should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. When you move your body, you: - Strengthen your heart (it is a muscle — exercise makes it pump better) - Build stronger bones and muscles - Release chemicals called endorphins that make you feel happy - Focus better when you sit down to study Your 60 minutes do not have to happen all at once. Playing tag at recess for 15 minutes, plus riding your bike for 20 minutes, plus dancing in your room for 25 minutes adds up to 60 minutes. Even sweeping the floor counts!