Fitness Fans of America
One of my friends just started a new business to help kids learn how to get healthy!! If you have children, and want to improve their fitness, you might want to check it out!
Fight Childhood ObesityThis Summer with Fitness Fans of America
Local Program Focuses on Helping Youth with Better Health and Fitness Decisions
Tacoma, WA — Fitness Fans of America, a three-month program that aims to help prevent and treat obesity in children and teens, is launching its summer program in Federal Way this July. Fitness Fans of America is a local health and fitness campaign, focused on helping the next generation of children be active and healthy by encouraging and teaching them to make smart decisions regarding exercise and nutrition from a young age.
“Unhealthy lifestyles at a young age often progress into chronic health problems that typically follow a child well into adulthood,” says Peter Ollodart, Fitness Fans of America founder, who designed the program in cooperation with Union Avenue Pediatrics. “It’s expected that one out of three children born after the year 2000 will develop an obesity-related disease as an adult.”
Ollodart launched the program with the expertise of pediatricians, due to the overwhelming rate of type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome seen in children over the past two decades – diseases that are preventable by leading healthy lifestyles, causing childhood obesity to become a national epidemic.
A key component of this program is to educate children now and help them develop a sustainable set of skills and motivation to make healthy choices in the future. Fitness Fans of America takes a comprehensive approach to combat this problem by providing instruction in fitness, dietary counseling, nutrition, food shopping, and online observation of the child’s progress.
“At first it was kind of hard to learn to exercise and eat healthier foods,” said Betty Lemlemayehu, age 11. “But I’m really proud that I stuck with it and lost 18 pounds. And now I know how to make better food choices.”
The Fitness Fans of America model allows instructors to help each student monitor their physical transformation throughout the course, encouraging them to carry the habits over into other areas of his or her life.
“Accountability and quality peer groups are keys to long term sustainability,” says Ollodart. “The children generally see great results within the first month and quickly learn how their bodies respond to good nutrition and exercise. They generally feel better and are more motivated to achieve across the board.”
In fact, after six weeks in the pilot program for Fitness Fans of America, eight children ages 11 to 16, have averaged losses of 10 pounds each, with the highest weight loss at 22 pounds.
Fitness Fans of America is a year-round program offered to youth ages eight to 17 with facilities located in the Federal Way Community Center. Scholarships provided by private donors are available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis to children in need. For more information about the fitness program, scholarships, or how to donate, please visit www.fitnessfansamerica.com or call 253.778.5880.
Margo Myers, Principal, Margo Myers Communications
