Like most of our favorite TV shows, Team Fit is making a much anticipated return this fall.
The Dave and Mary Alper JCC in Kendall has successfully kept the ongoing Team Fit program for children ages 8-12 going full force these past couple years. Partnered with Baptist Health Systems and the United Way, Team Fit is targeted towards kids in need of weight-loss and seeks to stand out from many generic programs you see today.
All classes will be held in designated areas throughout the sprawling Alper JCC campus and will begin its introduction class Saturday, Oct. 18. The goal of Team Fit is not only to get kids down to a specific weight goal, but to help them develop positive, active lifestyles.
Let’s face it, children don’t have the same attention span as adults. Even some adults can’t stay on a treadmill without whipping out their phone to check their Facebook or proudly post a screenshot of their treadmill distance on Instagram. Keeping the ever-growing minds of children in consideration, the program was designed to keep them engaged throughout the program and beyond – which can be a challenge, especially in this day and age.
Parents and siblings will join their kids on Saturdays from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. for totally interactive nutrition classes with professional nutritionists followed by an exciting hour of the sports activity of the day.
Parents are required to attend the first hour of nutrition and the sports activity can range from pool activities, baseball games, Kung Fu, TRX suspension training, yoga, Pilates and more. During the week kids take on fun fitness classes, and education on Tuesdays and Thursdays split into two groups per day; 5-6 p.m. and then 6-7 p.m., with nationally certified fitness professionals and student volunteers from FIU’s nutrition program.
Within Team Fit’s eight-week duration, kids will embrace fun challenges such as trying a new vegetable each week, controlling portion sizes, learning healthy snacking alternatives and enjoying the fun out of exercising, all while habitually leading more active lives. They will succeed as they always have in the past, and Meg McCarthy, Team Fit & Alper JCC fitness center director, can guarantee a few will act as nutrition coaches and teachers themselves by the time they receive their personalized trophies during the theatrical closing ceremony in December.
The cost is $205 per child, but there is an $80 rebate for attending all Saturday classes. The fee also includes a membership to the fitness center for the entire family during the eight weeks of the program. “The entire family is encouraged to be active together,” says McCarthy.
For more information, call Meg McCarthy at 305-271-9000, ext. 277, or email meg@alperjcc.org.
