Christina Collins' NeverStopMoving365 Fuels Active Lifestyles and Economic Mobility for Teachers

Lifestyle

Christina Collins’ NeverStopMoving365 Fuels Active Lifestyles and Economic Mobility for Teachers

January 30, 2024

In a time where sitting is now equated to smoking, one woman has taken it upon herself to rewrite the rules. Christina Collins, a P.E. teacher, former athlete, entrepreneur, and mother, is lighting the flame of positive change by promoting physically active lifestyles and economic well-being of fellow teachers. Through her impactful state lobbying efforts and the launch of her NeverStopMoving365 (NSM365) initiative, Collins is not just encouraging youth to stay active, but also casting a vision of financial independence for other P.E. teachers.

NSM365 is a passion-driven small business that serves to build essential skills in children and teens through a diverse set of activities including fitness and sports training and personalized events. Recognizing the potential for exponential growth, Collins began giving her colleagues the opportunity to employ her business framework, letting them supplement their income and join the mission.

Collins discovered her love for fitness and coaching as an eighth-grader under the tutelage of her P.E. teacher, Mark Finegan. She learned from him the multitude of skills fitness and sports could offer beyond the physical, including personal growth aspects like resilience, confidence, and leadership.

However, the battle Collins is fighting extends beyond fostering personal growth in children. In a lifestyle increasingly driven by digital screens and dwindling physical engagement, Collins is pushing back against a rising wave of childhood obesity. The past four decades have seen a terrifying tripling of childhood obesity in the United States. Despite wellness policies, schools are often falling short in delivering adequate physical activity to their students. Recess is cut short, and physical activity remains optional rather than an integral part of a child’s day.

This is an untenable situation, as physical activity is not just about combating obesity, it’s also about academic performance. Obesity can negatively influence academic outcomes, propelling a cycle of health and educational deficiencies. It’s a call to arms, and Collins is heeding it.

Though schools are looked at as an ideal spot to educate students about physical activities, an unfortunate lack of mandates for regular physical activity is hindering the progress. To tackle this, Collins is lobbying to expand New York’s ‘Commission Regulation 135.4’ to include a classroom movement mandate, which would require schools to provide more time for physical activities.

On the flip side of things, NSM365 is doing phenomenal work on a grassroots level. With the focus on the holistic well-being of children, from conducting sport-specific training to building health-related components of fitness, NSM365 is empowering children with foundational skills for the future. The program not only boosts physical abilities but also passively imparts invaluable lessons about perseverance, self-control, coping with failure, and more.

To escalate the positive ripple of NSM365, Collins is offering the initiative as a viable business option to other P.E. teachers. Through this, they can spread active lifestyles in their communities while also gaining a supplemental income.

While all this wonderful work continues, Christina Collins is also gearing up for a significant fundraising campaign. She is launching a nine-week “Heart and Hoops” jump rope fundraising campaign for the American Heart Association on Valentine’s Day. This accomplishment comes hot on the wheel of her nomination for the prestigious ‘Woman of Impact’ award, testament to her extraordinary efforts.

As a beacon of relentless drive, Collins is set to present at the SHAPE America National Convention & Expo to an impressive number of P.E. teachers. Aligning with her perseverance, she is also training for challenging events like a 100-mile run and an ironwoman 140.6.

With her mantra, “I will not stop until I empower enough teachers to make P.E. available outside of school and get 1 million children active,” Christina Collins is proving that her mission is unstoppable, just like her. For more updates and to get involved, connect on www.neverstopmoving365.com.