As a young girl, I was very involved in Girl Scouts. While I did just happen to set a cookie-selling record for my district , participating in  Girl Scouts  meant so much more than selling cookies.  I loved learning about nature, camping, and how to be independent. It helped me to develop great friendships and taught me how to be a leader. At camp, I was able to experience so many adventures from archery, rock climbing, to traditional activities like campfires and hiking. I was so excited when my daughter showed interest in Girl Scouts as well. I knew it would provide her with so many of same opportunities that have benefited me.

Girl Scouts has been inspiring girls and young women to be confident and active since 1912! They are continuing that tradition today through the Together Counts Program. The Together Counts program is nationwide and provided by the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation to inspire active and healthy living through physical activity and nutrition.

The principle behind the program is called Energy Balance, which just means balancing the calories we consume with the calories we expend.
Energy In: the calories you get from eating and drinking.
Energy Out: the calories you burn from physical activities

In partnership with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, Girl Scouts developed three “healthy habits” booklets to easily incorporate energy balance into meetings, outings, events and adventures. The free booklets help guide girls as they learn to lead active, healthy lifestyles.

The 3 Healthy Habits booklets available for download include:

• Between Earth and Sky with Healthy Habits – girls learn about the many plants, trees, and animals that flourish in nature, and also build important leadership skills.
• WOW! Wonders of Water with Healthy Habits – girls discover the many forms and paths that water takes and how to protect it. They also learn how to engage in teamwork, speak effectively to convey a message, and inspire others
• Get Moving! with Healthy Habits– girls learn how to use their energy to protect Earth’s energy and build important leadership skills.

For other resources on inspiring the girls in your life to stay active or get involved with Together Counts and Girl Scouts, be sure to check out these great sites :

• Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital Twitter: On Twitter, GSNC shares council information including awards, resources, highlights from council events and volunteering opportunities.
• Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital Facebook: Similar to Twitter, the GSNC Facebook page shares photo albums of troop activities, news from around the region, and partner content from Together Counts.
• Together Counts Website –The website is consumer friendly—aimed at parents and educators and provides resources, tips, recipes and more.
• Together Counts Blog – The Together Counts blog is the main source of all consumer-friendly news including HWCF campaigns, announcements and content from HWCF partners around the topic of healthy eating habits and incorporating more physical activity.
• Together Counts Twitter – On Twitter, Together Counts shares everything from digital assets (video, infographics) to industry or conference news related to food in addition to campaign and partner news.
• Together Counts Pinterest – Together Counts’ resource for sharing recipe inspiration from across the network, family activity ideas and pins from partners that relate to family eating and activity including Girl Scouts, Healthy Dining Finders, etc.