Diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and sleep apnea are all
diseases affiliated with adults and obesity. Yet children
today are at an increased risk of developing these potentially
deadly conditions if the obesity epidemic plaguing the United
States is not halted.
Lifestyle Family Fitness has committed to do its part to
help break the cycle of adolescent obesity. The company
will launch its second annual “Free Teen Summer Membership”
program this May.
Lifestyle Family Fitness will open its doors at all 44 locations
throughout Florida, Ohio and North Carolina from May 15
through August 15 for teenagers (ages 12 to 17) by offering
a free 2-month membership. In-club registration begins May
1, but teens can pre-register online now at lff.com. Teens
can register up until August 15 and still have two months
from the date joined to use the clubs.
To participate in the program, parents are required to register
their teens in person. Once registered, teens can visit
the clubs unaccompanied by a parent. Teenagers are requested
to finish using the club by 5p.m. In addition to the membership,
teens are encouraged to participate in Group Fitness classes.
Company CEO Geoff Dyer was once an overweight teen and understands
the problems caused by obesity. He would have loved an opportunity
to work out as a teenager. “By inviting teens to work out
for free, we can help them engage in a healthy lifestyle
and establish a lifelong routine that includes fitness,”
he said. “Self esteem or the lack thereof for overweight
teens can be quickly recaptured when teens start exercising
and feeling good about their appearance again!” |
The program, launched in Summer 2006, had more than 2,300
teens who participated. “This summer, we’d like even more
teens to take advantage of the opportunity to actively spend
a summer getting fit and healthy with Lifestyle Family Fitness,”
Dyer said. “Our goal is to get more teens – more active
– more often.”
In addition to regular exercise, the Center for Disease
Control offers suggestions for parents seeking ways to create
a healthy environment for their children.
• Eat at home. People exercise less control over food quality
and portion size when eating in restaurants.
• Turn off the television, video games and computers to
participate in a fun physical activity with your children.
• Buy fewer high - fat snacks and sugary drinks. Ensure
your children have access to healthy snacks.
• Buy more fruits and vegetables to add to your family’s
diet.
• Children can enjoy learning about nutrition and physical
activity by visiting the BAM (Body and Mind) website at
www.bam.gov/index.html. written by Wendy Friedman |