Fitness Programs for Kids and Teens

In the fight against childhood obesity, the school environment has received a good deal of attention because of its potential to influence a large number of school-aged children and their families. This school year, a new federal mandate went into effect that requires school districts throughout...

Fitness professionals know that the number of overweight or obese children in the United States and other developed countries is increasing at an alarming rate. However, it is difficult to track the prevalence of this obesity epidemic, since there is such variability in how experts define whic...

From Dallas to Montreal, from Chicago to Los Angeles, youth-based personal training and group classes are hot. The burst in popularity may be due to growing concern about the epidemic of childhood inactivity and obesity, a stronger push to groom athletes from a young age, greater scientific acceptance of resistance training for children, or other motivations—and press...

“Self-esteem isn’t everything; it’s just there’s nothing without it.”—Gloria Steinem Many women whom you train or teach struggle with body image issues, eating disorders and inactivity. While most try to change destructive behavior p...

Throughout childhood, most young girls are outgoing, self-confident, curious adventurers interested in exploring the world and all it has to offer. Happy with themselves and their place in the world, they interact positively with their families and friends. All this drastically changes as girls approach their teen yea...

It’s not exactly a news flash: children are experiencing serious health problems and a poor quality of life. More kids than ever suffer from the effects of poor nutrition and lack of exercise, and the child overweight/obesity rate has nearly tripled over the past 40 years (Alliance for a Healthier Generation 2006). At the start of 2008, most fitness professionals are aware of th...

The statistics on America’s childhood obesity epidemic are well known, but that does not make them any less shocking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity among children ages 6–11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years. The rate among ado...

As a fitness professional, you ignite a passion for physical act...

Childhood is the time when kids establish eating patterns that can last a lifetime. Teach your children how to make informed nutritious food choices with these suggestions from Jennie McCary, MS, RD, LD, community nutritionist for the Albuquerque Public Schools and chair of the New Mexico Action for Healthy Kids. Kids Need 5 A Day He...