Back-to-school means back to hitting the books. Yet this year, one Wisconsin teacher is passing out a different kind of book to her students in grades five through eight. The new fitbook(TM) junior, a 12-week interactive fitness and food journal for kids, will teach students at St. Francis de Sales the importance of goal-setting, engaging in daily physical activities and making nutritious food choices, while balancing their tasks at school and home.
"My goal is to teach students the importance of taking care of their health. I want them to have fun while doing it, and they'll also be graded," says Beth Ivey, a Physical Education teacher at St. Francis de Sales. "More than ever, taking responsibility for your health is a critical subject kids must learn while they're young."
With child obesity on the rise, and nearly 12 million children in the U.S. significantly overweight*, improving the health of young Americans is a growing national emergency for powerful influencers like First Lady Michelle Obama. In a recent interview with Women's Health magazine, Mrs. Obama declared combating childhood obesity as one of her top health-related issues: "We need to educate children in particular about how to live a healthy lifestyle. If we provide kids with [that] foundation, they are much more likely to become healthy adults."
Also on the roster in the nation's fight to improving children's health is former President Bill Clinton and his Alliance for a Healthier Generation where he actively encourages schools, non-profit organizations, and most importantly, parents to step up and act as role models. Clinton's organization states that today, 1 in 3 children or youth (age 2-19) are either overweight or obese and that number is expected increase by 20 percent over the next five years if the current trends are not reversed.
"This is a real passion project for our company," says Angela Manzanares, chief fitlosopher of California-based fitlosophy, inc., creators of fitbook(TM) junior. "If we can teach the kiddos when they're young to make healthy choices, we can play an active part not only in combating the trend in rising childhood obesity, but play a major role in changing the shape of America - literally." Complete with star stickers, the interactive, fun format also includes a 'coach guide' to provide parents and teachers with tips on educating and motivating children. "Our mission is to positively influence kids by offering a fun program that the entire family can partake in."
The release of fitbook(TM) junior is an extension of its parent product, fitbook(TM), a functional fitness and nutrition journal that educates and supports adults to reach their health goals.
"The simple, colorful layout of fitbook junior is easy enough for kids as young as 5 to understand and use, yet structured and engaging enough for the older kids to want to use it. They set goals, track progress with their star stickers, and earn rewards," says Lisa Greenwood, a mother and Program Director of Fleet Feet's Zoomerang Kids Running Club in Connecticut. "I use the grown-up book, and my son and I make our plans together. His goals include running eight laps and eating five new fruits this week, while I'm working on strength training and stretching."
fitbook(TM) junior targets children ages 5 to 12, while the company has had some interesting feedback from the adults: "I want one," states Stephanie Blozy, owner of Fleet Feet Sports in Connecticut, "I'm a sucker for stars!"
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