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EYEWITNESS LOCAL NEWS
KEEPING KIDS HEALTHYfrom Eyewitness News Online A New Program Teaches Kids Health And Fitness While Having Fun Reported by:  Ashley SmithVideographer: Troy Morgan Web Producer: Ashley Smith Reported: Oct. 17, 2012 4:55 PM EDT Updated: Oct. 17, 2012 6:09 PM EDT
Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
Introducing fitness and healthy eating at a young age are the goals of a new program at the Charleston Family YMCA. The Youth Fitness Initiative or Y-FI class is open to children ages 6-14. “Our goal was to introduce the concept of exercise and nutrition in a fun way that the kids can be excited and engaged about,” Health and Fitness Director Evan Thoman said. Y-FI Head Coach Cierra Jones said it's important to “instill fitness and nutrition in the minds of the kids of this generation because they are our future.” This isn’t your typical workout. The kids perform non-traditional exercises including prowler pushes, rope slams, squats, tire flips and agility drills. “Our main goal is to make sure kids know the right way to squat, lunge, eat right and exercise,” Jones said, “because once that is in their mind they have that forever.” Nas-jai Jones likes the program. “We have fun, do lots of stuff, and she tells us how to eat the right stuff,” the 8-year-old said. Coaches say they hope kids will eventually choose to do this rather than sit on the couch and watch TV or play video games. Thoman can relate to the program because of his own experiences. “Growing up I was a little bit overweight, too,” he said. “If I had something like this growing up, I would have gotten a better head start.” Not only are the kids getting fit and healthy, they also are doing things they never thought they would. “I can't push that stuff because it's so heavy, but I did it,” 9-year-old Nyla Birch said. Officials with Y-FI say the community has been very supportive of the initiative. Kroger provided each kid with a treat bag containing nutrition information, a healthy recipe book and healthy snack foods. If you would your child to participate in the program, it’s free for members and those in the after-school program. To find out more, you can visit http://www.ymcawv.org/ MORE NEWS FROM EYEWITNESS NEWS
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