Teaching kids 'Way to Go'
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Jumping jacks are taught as one way to stay fit in the Way to Go Kids program at Baptist Health Systems.
Healthy living can be a lifelong practice, when the groundwork is laid early.
“We focus on kids,” said Kristina Burrow, licensed behavioral counselor at Baptist Health Systems. “We help them learn about healthy eating and an active lifestyle.”
Children who come to Baptist’s Way to Go Kids program are weighed when they begin the program, but the emphasis is not strictly on weight loss. “It’s about a healthy life,” Burrow said.
The eight-week program is held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays at the Baptist Healthplex in Jackson. Children sign up through Baptist’s nutrition program.
“They send them over to us to work out for 30 minutes every Monday before we send them over to the nutrition center,” said Memrie McCaleb, fitness specialist at Baptist. “They do things like jumping jacks, upper and lower body movements and boxing. We do activities instead of sitting around with nothing to do.”
There’s an education component, she said, where students learn things they can do at home, on their own.
“We focus on helping them develop these habits so in the long term, it will help them lose weight,” Burrow said. “We don’t teach them how to diet, we teach them how to eat healthy so they don’t have to diet when they get older.”
Diets can backfire, she said, causing people to overeat.
“A lot of bad habits are established when we’re kids,” she said. “A lot of the time, kids may use food as a comfort or nurturing for themselves. Then when they get older, it develops into a regular coping mechanism.”
The Way to Go Kids program is for children ages 8-12 “or younger if they’re more mature,” Burrow said. It’s held on an ongoing basis so more people can participate.
Way to Go Kids costs $160 — $80 for the nutritional assessment and $10 a week per class for eight weeks. For more information, call Burrow at (601) 973-1624.
