Welcome to beautiful North Carolina in 2017. We have miles of sandy beaches, beautiful mountains, quaint towns, and the 23rd highest overweight and obesity rates among children aged 10 to 17 in the nation. More specifically, about one in three (32.3%) North Carolina high school students are either overweight or obese (Eat Smart, Move More NC). One in three! In other words, if your high schooler has two best friends, it is likely that one of the three of them is overweight or obese.

Our nation is currently experiencing an obesity epidemic. The definition of an epidemic is a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time. The startling point is that obesity is a disease within our control. Although I am just one person in our world of more than seven billion, I am making it my mission to do what I can to tackle the childhood obesity issue and put a dent in this epidemic.

The obesity epidemic has numerous effects on our nation, from our health to our wallets. The chronic disease costs the United States approximately $190 billion in health-related bills each year (Understanding the American Obesity Epidemic). Our ever-growing bodies are developing Type II Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, respiratory problems, in addition to social and psychological problems, to name just a few.

But you knew that. Everyone knows the risks, yet we keep letting ourselves and our children eat more, exercise less, and, all the while, grow bigger and bigger. In the table below, you can clearly see this trend of rising percentages of obesity prevalence in American adolescents over the past three decades (The Psychiatric clinics of North America).

The current generation of children may be the first to not live longer than their parents did (New England Journal of Medicine). Who wants that for their children? This statistic can be attributed to a few major risk factors, such as poor diet, lack of resources, genetics and lack of physical activity. For now, I just want to focus on the physical activity, or lack thereof.

In a study of high school students, 75.7% did not meet the minimal physical activity recommendations, 30.5% spend at least three hours a day watching TV and 42.3% spent at least three hours a day playing video games (Eat Smart, Move More NC). According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and Adolescents, our youth should be active for at least one hour per day, consisting of aerobic, muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activities. If sports are not for your child, it may be hard to motivate them and find way to be active daily.

That’s where I come in.

After initially hearing the statistics that previously mentioned here, I could not get them out of my head. I kept thinking to myself, “We’re killing our children and there’s a way to put an end to it”. Working in the fitness industry, I have more resources than some others may, and I would be doing a disservice if I were to not take advantage of that privilege. With my concerns and newfound awareness bubbling in the back of my head for the past two months, I finally put them altogether to create Athletic Lab’s new YouthFit program.

YouthFit’s motto is, “You don’t have to be a serious athlete to become seriously fit”. This phrase embodies my whole mission, which is making physical activity available to youth who do not have the resources to be active or are not seriously involved in athletics. The program is a bridge between our Lab Rats program for 7-11 year olds who are shown how physical activity can be fun, and our Scholastic Sports Performance program, for athletes in at least 7th grade who are looking to improve in their respective sport(s).

With a focus on functional fitness, YouthFit will prepare adolescents for everyday life. Functional fitness means that you are able to perform day-to-day activities, planned or unplanned, without experiencing fatigue. They will learn how to squat, run, jump, throw, pull, and pick things up. The most important outcome of the program is that, with a solid foundation of fitness and an understanding of exactly why they are doing what they are doing; children will grow up with a greater appreciation for their body and their health. (Nu Era Fitness)

So, let’s stop killing our kids. Instead, let’s start teaching them, empowering them, and imprinting healthy behaviors on them. Give your child a chance to be seriously fit at Athletic Lab’s YouthFit Summer Camp.

Register Now!

Summer YouthFit Camp

Don't miss out. YouthFit is an amazing opportunity to get and stay fit over summer.
Register Now!

  • Date: June 19-23
  • Price: $75 for first child; $50 for each additional
  • Time: 6pm-7pm
  • Ages: 7th grade and up

References

  • “Functional Physical Fitness for Kids | CrossFit For Kids.” Nu Era Fitness. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.
  • Mitchell, Nia et al. OBESITY: OVERVIEW OF AN EPIDEMIC. The Psychiatric clinics of North America 34.4 (2011): 717 732. PMC. Web. 15 May 2017.
  • Olshansky, S. Jay, Douglas J. Passaro, Ronald C. Hershow, Jennifer Layden, Bruce A. Carnes, Jacob Brody, Leonard Hayflick, Robert N. Butler, David B. Allison, and David S. Ludwig. “A Potential Decline in Life Expectancy in the United States in the 21st Century.” New England Journal of Medicine 352.11 (2005): 1138-145. The New England Journal of Medicine. Web. 15 May 2017.
  • “Overweight and Obesity Among Adults and Adolescents in NC.” Eat Smart, Move More NC. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.
  • “Understanding the American Obesity Epidemic.” Understanding the American Obesity Epidemic. N.p., 9 Mar. 2016. Web. 15 May 2017.