Kids sweat to learn healthy lifestyle habits

The anatomical drawing of Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man," from the face to the waist, covers a light gray wall in the entrance to the Tidal Elite Performance Center in Tenleytown. Near the image are two racks of medicine balls and dumbbells. A 3-D human skeleton model topped with an olive green baseball cap hangs on a stand in the adjacent corner. On this particular Friday afternoon, personal trainer Monica Hay, 24, is wearing a burgundy razorback sports tank and black Capri stretch pants. Music from her iPod fills her ears. Her gaze is fixed on some object outside of the window, all the time jogging on one of the treadmills. But her mind is really on what she says is one of her more challenging sessions of the week, but nonetheless rewarding - an hour-long Kids Fitness Club exercise session.

Children's lack of physical activity was one of the top 10 health concerns in 2008, according to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. The fitness club is an effort to teach children at an early age the importance of physical activity as part of developing and maintaining healthy lifestyles.

"I want every kid to have a chance to have a healthy lifestyle," Hay said of her decision to start the club in January.

Membership in the Kids Fitness Club costs $100 for every eight sessions or $15 for on-the-spot participation in a session.

Hay, a native of Columbus, Ohio, became involved in gymnastics when she was four. She graduated Western Michigan University on a gymnastic scholarship and became certified as personal trainer in November 2005. She moved to the District in 2006 and began work as a personal trainer at Sport and Health, Washington's largest group of health clubs.

But her zeal for working with children kept nagging at her. From her junior year in high school to her completion of college, Hay was a part-time gymnastics instructor outside of school for preschoolers to 13 year olds.

The Kids Fitness Club meets every Wednesday and Friday, from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm. A typical routine may begin with a warm-up session of leap frog and bunny hops. "The purpose is to get them in the mindset of exercising as well as get their bodies warm," Hay said.

The session progresses into a circuit of strength exercises such as, dumbbell lifting, sit-ups and balancing oneself on a medicine ball. It also includes a circuit of cardio exercises such as resistant running and agility ladder exercises.

"I've become more active," said nine-year-old Fabrizzio Torerro. "We learn new exercises that I've never done before."

Elena Mujal, 9, has been a gymnastics participant for four years. She said the club has helped her build up her strength.

"It takes a lot of work," said Isabel Suarez, 9, a participant in the fitness club who also enjoys exercising at home.

Dr. Nailah Coleman, an attendee in the Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Department and General Pediatrics Department at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, said that the regular exercise and physical activity of young children helps them develop bones and muscle, think better as well as improves their confidence and moods.

"I can already see that the kids have more confidence in their accomplishments, which is the biggest reward for me," Hay said.

She explained that the children want to try more challenging exercises and are more receptive to guidance when they have a higher confidence. Studies have shown that regular exercise can help children perform better academically. When children meet or exceed their goals in physical activities, they grow in self-esteem, said Inez Edwards, association director of youth wellness for the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington.

"The children develop an 'I can' attitude in the classrooms," Edwards said on how the growth in self-esteem translates into school work.

According to a 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study conducted by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 3.8 percent of elementary schools supplied daily physical education or 150 minutes of physical education each week. The Health, Physical Education and Athletics Department of DC Public Schools has a physical education "pacing guide" that breaks down physical education and activity standards for elementary, middle and secondary schools.

Students in grades second to fifth are to "participate in physical activity a minimum of four days each week." Passage of The FIT (Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids) Act is currently being considered by Congress. The act primarily proposes implementation of quality nutritional and organized physical education and physical activity programs in schools.

An initiative such as the Kids Fitness Club can be a great way for parents to connect with their children, said Coleman, who thinks the club is a great idea.

Parents appreciate Hay's expertise in fitness and personable connection with their children. "Monica really understands the physical needs the kids have and she gives them a very appropriate work-out," Carol Suarez, Isabel's mother, said.