Event teaches children that being healthy is fun

Exercise doesn't have to be boring, the children and adults learned.
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
REA CHILDREN HADthe chance to do the Hokey Pokey, make and eat turkey pita wraps and learn yoga at the Children's Museum of the Valley in Youngstown.
It was play with a purpose, however. The Saturday activities were part of the Junior League of Youngstown's Kids in the Kitchen event.
"We wanted to bring attention to what we see is such a huge issue for children these days," said Debra Warhol, a member of the Junior League. "We want to get them out from in front of the television and the computer games, and teach them to eat things that are low in sugars and fats, and get them moving a little bit."
The day included blood pressure checks, arts and crafts with food, exercise options, lessons on making healthy choices and the opportunity to visit an asthma van, fire truck and ambulance.
"We're doing a lot to focus on the children, but we're also trying to educate the parents a little bit," Warhol said.
This includes teaching parents how to offer healthy food options for their children so they will make the right food decisions, she added.
Exercise
Being healthy isn't all about food, Warhol points out.
"Exercise plays a huge role," she said. "You have to eat right, but in order to maintain your health you have to exercise your body."
To accomplish that goal, volunteers are offering fun exercise options, such as yoga, Pilates and the Hokey Pokey.
Lisa Muehlenbein, a Junior League member and yoga instructor, led the children's yoga class. Though not traditionally thought of as a kids' activity, "yoga helps children with balance, coordination and flexibility, and helps them maintain focus," she said.
Muehlenbein suggested that families exercise together, by doing activities such as biking and walking.
"Any physical activity that a family can do together will certainly increase health and vitality," she said. By starting young, parents can help their children create a lifelong habit of exercise.
Appreciative
The event was all she hoped for, Lara Pridemore of Warren said.
"We came today so we could learn some healthy eating habits and we could learn that when we're playing we're exercising," said Pridemore, who attended the event with her two preschool-age children and nephew.
Her son, Yehonathan, who had been skipping, galloping and doing the limbo all morning, wondered when they would exercise, she noted -- so he had learned that exercise can be fun. And, as he munched on a turkey wrap, he discovered that healthy food can taste good.
The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reports that 9 million children are considered to be overweight. Unhealthy diet and physical inactivity can cause or aggravate many chronic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.