Penny and James Maurer and their daughter Ava, age 12, were like a lot of today’s American families. Both Penny and James have jobs where a computer demands their attention, and they sit at their desks a lot. With their hectic lives, they often grabbed food on the go and found it difficult to find the time to exercise. Then their pediatrician recommended their family for a pilot program at the Concord Family YMCA called “Prescribe the Y”.
Prescribe the Y is a free 12-week youth wellness program for children ages 6-13 with a Body Mass Index (BMI) in the 84th percentile or greater. Kids attend classes twice a week in cardiovascular activity, strength training and nutrition education.
Run with support from Fresh Roots Nutrition, Hannaford Supermarket and the Concord Co-op, it aims to get not only the kids, but also the whole family involved in making good food choices and leading a more active lifestyle.
While the dangers of childhood obesity are well chronicled, experts agree that the issue is a family affair. Children are more likely to become obese if their parents also suffer from weight problems – in fact, kids have an 80 percent chance of becoming obese if their parents are also obese. So getting everyone on the same side is important. For Penny and James, they have found that small and simple changes have made big differences since starting the program.
“We’ve never truly had unhealthy habits,” says Penny, “but the Prescribe the Y program has reminded us to rebalance the proportions and portions of the food we eat. For example, we now start most of our evening meals with a simple salad with lots of good greens and veggies, cut back on the grains/carbs and watch our portions of proteins.” She adds that the family is now very conscience of their food choices by shopping, cooking and eating healthy. “We’ve reshuffled the food deck and found results,” she says. She said that its given their daughter ownership in the overall healthy habits of their family. She gets to choose and prepare a meal once a week – from the shopping of the ingredients to cooking. “She knows how to read the food labels, what fruits and veggies have the greatest nutritional impact and why you should shop the perimeter of a grocery store.”
Prescribe the Y is just one of the many ways that the YMCA is committed to reverse childhood obesity and strengthen the community. Children are more likely to be – and stay – active if they are having fun while doing activities, so the Concord Family YMCA has a wide range of options. Think year-round swimming, youth sports leagues, healthy snack options, encouraging water consumption and Fun Family Fridays. Other tips to help families incorporate healthy choices in their lives include:
• Making water the drink of choice (supplemented by age-appropriate portions of 100 percent fruit juices and low-fat milk.)
• Filling half their plates with fruits and vegetables in colorful options.
• Getting at least an hour a day of unstructured play outside when possible, and at least three times a week get 20 minutes or more of vigorous physical activity.
• Eat as a family frequently with kids involved in meal prep and clean up.
• Reduce screen time to less than two hours a day.
• Keep a regular sleep schedule – 10 to 12 hours per night for kids and seven to eight hours for adults.
Although their family is working on seeing more results, Penny does admit that having a healthy, active life takes work. “It can be so easy to fall back into old habits when life gets hectic,” she says. But given the right tools, such as those offered at the Y, means that success is much more likely to become a healthier lifestyle – and worth the effort.
For more information about the Prescribe the Y program, contact the Concord Family YMCA at 228-9622. The YMCA’s promise is to strengthen the foundation of community through a focus on youth development, social responsibility and healthy living. It is the leader in the community in providing value-based health and wellness programs for children, teens and adults.
The Capital Area Wellness Coalition coordinates community resources and builds partnerships to create a culture of healthy living for everyone. The CAWC meets monthly on the second Wednesday at 8 a.m. at the Center for Health Promotion, 49 S. Main St. in Concord. Visit capwellness.org to learn more.
