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Former Washington Redskins defensive end Charles Mann still knows how to draw a straight line to a goal — only now it is not on the football field, it concerns personal health.

"No white carbs," he told an audience of teachers, students, health professionals and parents at the Oct. 5 kickoff of iPATH — Inova Partnering Actively Toward Health — at the Inova Fairfax Hospital in Vienna.

IPATH is a pilot partnership between Inova Health System's Community Affairs office and four public schools in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. The plan is that 10 weeks from now, 40 middle and high school students will have completed a nutrition and fitness curriculum developed by Cliff Russell — another NFL veteran — and will be leading their peers and families to a heightened awareness health.

Success isn't catching balls or winning Super Bowl rings, said Mann, who won three titles with the Redskins from 1983-1993.

"Success is getting up, looking in the mirror and being proud of what you've been able to accomplish," he said. "There are things I want to be taught, not caught, here."

Mann serves on the Inova Health Care Services Board of Trustees and chairs the Inova Alexandria Hospital Quality Committee. His Good Samaritan Foundation — founded with Art Monk and two other retired Redskins — brings mentoring to youngsters in tough city neighborhoods.

Russell started his NFL career with the Redskins in 2003 and finished with the Denver Broncos last season. He now devotes his time to Russell Fitness in Ashburn and to supporting youth sports in the area.

"Basically, I want to find fun ways to bring the kids up to speed on fitness and nutrition," Russell said. The 10-week program at Heritage and Mount Vernon high schools and at Simpson and Walt Whitman middle schools will include fitness challenges; a "question of the week" that might involve some research, shopping and reading of food labels; and a fitness obstacle course.

First on Russell's agenda: Get rid of the No. 1 Misconception — "Based on my fat, I don't have to exercise." After that, dump the idea that "Exercise is for adults."

Heritage High School Principal Margaret Huckaby said physical education teacher Sara Bolen will start every Wednesday at the Leesburg high school with a before-school session with the 10 student volunteers.

Senior Michael Clarkson, one of Heritage's 10 ambassadors, said he will be trying to get his peers and everybody in the school to watch their weight and to be conscious of what they are doing and eating. "We can talk about how we can benefit from that, how it can affect us in the future," said Clarkson, who plans to come back to Northern Virginia as a physical education teacher after college.

"People tend to think of hospitals as "big repair shops where we fix the dents," said Inova Chief Executive Officer J. Knox Singleton. "A key mission for us is building health. These young people will also be partnering with us, exploring careers in health, helping others maintain wellness."

Mann confessed that physical education was always a welcome class when he was growing up. He was, he said, the tetherball champion of his junior high.

The problem:

-Seventy percent of adolescents in Northern Virginia don't eat the recommended level of fruits and vegetables, 45 percent of them don't get enough exercise and 40 percent spend four hours or more a day in front of a TV, computer or video screen.

PATHway to improved health:

-iPATH is a 10-week program to help 10 students in four area schools become health/fitness leaders. Those 10 students will then raise health awareness in their schools and communities and will partner with health professionals to become a health ambassador to their student bodies and families.

The 9-5-2-1-0 PATH to health:

-9 — Get nine hours of sleep a night

-5 — Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day

-2 — Limit screen time to two hours day

-1 — Get at least one hour of exercise each day

-0 — No sugary drinks

Source: www.tippingthescales.net, Inova Health System