Sixth graders play in the gym at the Carlingwood YMCA as part of a new program that teaches kids about exercise and nutrition.
“Are there really 300 calories in a bag of Cheetos?” The eyes of the sixth grader who has just asked the question are full of disbelief. He is sitting in a classroom at the YMCA-YWCA in Carlingwood among 10 other children his age.
These are 10 average Ottawa students who could be sprawled out on their sofas watching TV or sitting in their cozy chairs playing computer games on a Thursday night.
Instead, they have signed up for the Y’s newest initiative to reduce child obesity: a free, month-long course in healthy living which includes classroom instruction, strength training and play.
The number of children suffering from obesity is increasing every year. Statistics show that children spend more time in front of the computer and the TV and at the same time they are more reluctant to do exercise. Children and youth are getting an average of six hours per day of screen time outside of school hours and over seven hours on weekend days.
“These are some of the reasons why the Y in Ottawa decided to introduce this new, free initiative for all the region’s 7,000 sixth graders,” says Tosha Rhodenizer, the Y’s vice-president of membership, health, fitness and recreation.
Back at the Y in Carlingwood, the children have moved into the gym where weightlifting machines tower over them. In pairs, they are instructed how to operate the equipment in order to avoid injuries, and at the same time the different muscle groups are being explained.
“Coming here makes my daughter feel older because she gets to use the machines in the gym normally reserved for the older kids,” says Caryn Maynes, mother of 11-year-old Lauren.
She also sees the Y initiative as a chance for children around Ottawa to rediscover the joy of playing outside the computer room.
“When I was a kid, computers and TV weren’t a part of life like they are today. At the same time, a lot of parents are afraid to send their children out to play after supper, so I think this initiative is a great opportunity for the kids to get to know how the equipment works and at the same time learn the value of eating healthy,” Maynes says.
Within seconds of dropping off her daughter, Lauren jumps into an intense game of “catch the fruit” with the other children on the gym floor.
“We always start with half an hour of playing so the kids can blow off some steam after a long day in school,” one of the Y’s instructors explains.
A month ago, the Y launched the campaign, called Kids Academy – Grade 6 Health Initiative, and sixth graders from all over the National Capital Region are already flocking to the Y facilities to join.
The program offers them a free one-year membership at the end of the four-week learning period.
Rhodenizer explains that there are about 7,000 sixth-grade students in the National Capital Region and it is the program’s goal to get 10 per cent of them to participate in the program within the first year.
“We are already touching kids who otherwise wouldn’t be introduced to activities like these,” she says. “We get a lot of calls from parents who are thrilled with the initiative, so I hope that we can keep this project going over the next years.”
After an hour and a half of playing and learning about nutrition and weight training in the gym, the kids grab their bags and head out with their parents – a sight Rhodeneizer hopes to see many times in the future.