CURRICULUM

Faith & Fitness Curriculum

Faith and fitness is connected in each part of the program, pulling key Catholic teachings from the bible, the Catechism and from various Saints and popes. These ideas are combined then with the latest in health and fitness research and practice. Students will think about their faith and fitness in a way to help them develop a strong and healthy personal fitness identity, with tools to build lifelong habits.

Faith & Lifestyle Curriculum

Practicing the 7 CatholicFIT Principles and 3 Pillars can lead any person towards living a healthier, more fulfilling life. The principles include Food & Fasting, Water, Sleep, Sharing & Learning, Helping Others, Prayer & Reflection and more.

Fitness & Physical Literacy Curriculum

While we tend to focus on lifestyle related challenges such as obesity, an equally important emphasis should be placed on body awareness, physical literacy and human performance. This curriculum teaches a series of universal principles used by the top fitness experts, physical therapists, medical doctors, chiropractors and other human performance specialists. This curriculum includes a series of physical benchmarks and learning outcomes that can be considered a 21st century version of the presidential physical fitness tests.

The benchmarks are based on SHAPE America, the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA) and other reputable resources. Click here to open a four page PDF document outlining these standards and benchmarks.

Eight Week CatholicFIT Program

For grade schools, dtudents and families can experience, from home, this program as a complement to their regular P.E. class, or as the health and PE curriculum for homeschooling families. The program includes:

• 8 Week P.E. Class supplement – each P.E. Instructor shares one of the 7 CatholicFIT Principles and exercises as a part of the first 5-15 minutes of their regular class, one class per week, though lesson planning allows for the entire class if desired. The goal is to simply move more, and to embrace daily movement and physical activity.
• “This Week in CatholicFIT Flyers & Posters – all participating PE teachers and parents will receive weekly lesson plans, posters, and worksheets to print and send to parents and homeroom teachers to keep everyone involved on the same page.
• Family Fitness Workshops (currently only for St. Louis Archdiocese schools)  – this was always an option for most Missouri schools, where families are invited to learn workouts the entire family can do, including ideas for restoring and maintaining our God given physical gifts. These will now be done online in our Facebook group, including our popular Frassati Devotion & Fitness Challenge.
• More Strength in Faith, Families & Fitness – in the fitness and sports medicine worlds, we say, “strength fixes most things.” The majority of people surveyed after last year’s program stated the program increased their family conversations about faith and fitness. The exercises included in the program, along with the integration with the Catholic catechism and civic virtue message throughout strengthen the associations with what it means to be a fit and faithful person.

Please contact us today to discuss bringing CatholicFIT to your school, sports team or organization.

Professional Development for Teachers

Workshops for the P.E. Teachers in each participating school receive professional development credit – Dave Reddy will meet with all of your P.E. Teachers 3-4 times to train them in all exercises and information involved in the curriculum along with updates to build a stronger bridge between fitness and physical education programs in our schools.

Upcoming Programs & Events

I have presented often on “Faith & Fitness Education: A CatholicFIT Case Study” at the St. Louis Archdiocese Education Center Health & Safety Summit at JFK High School. Click Here for high lights and pictures.

Other Questions?

Email Dave here.

To stay updated with future programs and workshops, please sign up for the newsletter in the right hand column and “Like” our the CatholicFIT Facebook Page. Thank you!

Thank you so much!

“We have both a faith AND fitness crisis in our society. I believe our Catholic schools can lead the way with innovative, counter-cultural programs that can strengthen the Catholic identity and core message of Christ while building strong, fit bodies, ready to serve, at the same time.”  – Dave Reddy