SPOKANE — Oroville Elementary School is one of 32 schools receiving a $1,000 grant for physical activity equipment as a part of the American Heart Association and the NFL’s NFL PLAY 60 Fitness Tracking Competition.

The competition encouraged classrooms to get moving for at least 60 minutes every day and log their movement minutes through the NFL PLAY 60 app. Physical activity positively impacts overall mental and physical wellness which is essential to help children reach their full potential.

The number of winning schools corresponds to the number of NFL franchise teams and the winners were announced during the annual NFL PLAY 60 Draft Fitness Break broadcast which aired virtually in classrooms nationwide on Thursday, April 25. The competition, held Jan. 22 to Feb. 9 in advance of Super Bowl LVIII, invited NFL PLAY 60 app (free and available for iOS and Android devices) users to select an NFL team to compete under and use the Group Quickplay feature in the app’s Teacher Dashboard to track a classroom’s total activity minutes. To log minutes, participants followed NFL PLAY 60 app avatars onscreen to complete exercises adding minutes to their classroom’s total.

Rooted in American Heart Association science, the NFL PLAY 60 initiative helps children to develop healthy habits for a better chance of a healthy adulthood. The program encourages kids to get a minimum of 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity each day to meet the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans[1]. Reducing sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity are key to immediate and long-term health for children.

The NFL and the American Heart Association have been teaming up since 2006 to inspire kids through fun and engaging ways to get physically active for at least 60 minutes a day. The impact of physical activity on overall mental and physical wellness is essential to help children grow to reach their full potential. Information on NFL PLAY 60 resources and additional grant opportunities can be found online at heart.org/NFLPLAY60.