Instead of spending all summer basking in the sun’s harmful rays, teens can get fit, toned and healthy this year. In an effort to battle childhood obesity, Lifestyle Family Fitness is opening its doors free to teens who wish to take a stance against childhood obesity.
During summer vacation, teens are invited to work out at any of the 55 Lifestyle locations nationwide.
“According to the Center for Disease Control, the prevalence of obesity among children ages 12 to 19 more then tripled in the past 20 years,” says President of Lifestyle Family Fitness Kevin Laferriere.
“We provided free two month memberships to teens during summer, because it’s a time period when many teens may not otherwise have access to physical Fitness.”
The program starts on May 15, 2009 and is available to teens between the ages of 12 and 17.
“Kids would always call me fat and stuff. I hated myself,” reported one Florida boy who changed his life by enrolling in the program two summers ago.
That same young man got in shape, hired a personal trainer and lost nearly 20 pounds.
“Now, because of this awesome gym, I have a chance of becoming a running back for the football team next year,” he wrote in an email about his experience.
This program was first introduced in the summer of 2006 by founder of Lifestyle Family Fitness, Geoffrey Dyer. Dyer’s vision was to keep teens more active, more often.
“Self esteem or the lack thereof for overweight teens can be quickly recaptured when teens start exercising and feeling good about their appearance again,” says Dyer, who also battled childhood obesity tipping the scales at 248 pounds at 17 years of age.
Among the many benefits of physical activity are higher levels of self-confidence and lower stress and anxiety levels. Studies have shown that S.A.T. scores are higher in teens involved in regular physical activity. In fact, because weight problems lead to other medical issues, overweight teens have higher school absentee rates, affecting academic performance.
“My family has never been able to afford a gym membership for any of us,” wrote one young lady, whose severe grass allergy limited her ability to get outdoors and get active.
“I loved being able to exercise with out having to risk having an allergy attack.”
Teens who wrote in after taking advantage of the program in past years also reported an overall sense of wellbeing.
“My father often comes home very late at night and leaves the house well before I’m awake; so any time spent with him is valued,” reported an Orlando teen.
“Over the summer, I was able to go with my father to the gym for many nights during the week. These small trips to the gym gave us an opportunity to catch up on everything that we missed.”
The program is open to teens of all Fitness levels and the teens can use equipment in the Health club or enjoy the group Fitness programs.
“I am a member of my high school’s competitive dance team and back to school conditioning is always difficult,” wrote a young lady who frequented group Fitness classes with her mother during summer.
“I was more than ready this year because of the results from taking Fitness classes. I couldn’t have asked for a better preparatory program!”
Parents can register their teen for the free summer program by visiting www.lff.com/teen. Teens are allowed to visit any Lifestyle Family Fitness unaccompanied after the registration process is complete. However, it is requested that they end their visit at 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.
“We hope that by inviting the teens to work out for free, we can help them begin a life-long path which includes Fitness and healthy living,” adds Dyer.
Schools and teen organizations that would like to distribute information on the free membership to teens can contact Lifestyle Family Fitness by calling 800-543-3783.