Rock climbing, sports, high-energy games keep it active.
Anyone with a child knows it can be tough to get them to eat right, be active and stay fit. The competition with sedentary video games, burgers and sodas makes it even more difficult. The first-ever Get Kidz Fit festival will level that playing field. Through exciting hands-on activities, Get Kidz Fit will show your children that eating healthy and being fit can be fun and rewarding. The festivities begin at 1 p.m. on
April 26th at the Centennial Building and continue til 4 p.m. Come out and enjoy the fun and action. Best
of all, it’s free to the general public.
Get Kidz Fit is produced by the Dallas Coalition to Prevent Childhood Obesity, a non-profit organization comprised of hospitals, medical practitioners and other organizations concerned about the health of our children. The coalition has designed the festival to help show families how to incorporate physical activity and nutritious eating into day-to-day life. The festival will provide the chance to try different sports, participate in hands-on cooking demonstrations and even see what “mind/body/spirit” choices are best.
Play hard, cook easy, relax right.
Whitney Strauss, event coordinator, promises plenty of activities that emphasize moving around. “Besides two rock climbing walls, we’ll have ‘Fit Stops’ where kids can jump rope, play basketball, tennis, soccer and even video games.” You read that right: high-energy video game hits like Dance Dance Revolution and Nintendo Wii.
The expo’s three Nutrition stations are aimed at good cooking as well as good eating, according to Ms. Strauss. “They focus on ‘Meat and Dairy,’ ‘Fruits and Vegetables’ and ‘Grains.’ Preparing meals that kids like is half the battle. But our experts will show you how to make smart and yummy choices.”
“Mind, Body and Spirit stages are sure to keep kids and parents on their toes,” believes Ms. Strauss. “Rev up with martial arts action, step aerobics, stomp teams and dancing. Or calm and strengthen with hands-on Pilates, yoga and stretching movements.”
There’s even a big Summer Camps area where parents sign up their children for opportunities to keep their kids physically active. Giveaways and contests will also be held.
Childhood obesity must be stopped…for their sake.
“It takes all of us working together to combat the critical problem of childhood obesity—parents, schools, medical organizations and the children themselves,” says Jon Bennett, chairman of the Get Kidz Fit event and Public Relations Director for the Coalition. “More than 35% of Texas school-aged children are considered either overweight or obese. Even businesses are realizing that obese children who become obese adults are insurance risks because they can develop heart problems and diabetes. If we can influence the choices of the 5,000 people we expect to attend Get Kidz Fit, we will have made good progress.”
There’s no time like the present to form healthier habits and no event like Get Kidz Fit better suited at getting young people to jump into action. To find out more, become a sponsor or have your “active” group perform, email Whitney Strauss or contact her at 214-273-3702. Here’s to a fitter generation!
