Event aims to make health fun
Published 9:09 pm Thursday, April 15, 2010
Most parents can attest that their children consider the things that require hard work — from homework to yard work — to be drudgery.
But this weekend, kids will find the fun that comes with working out to get fit and stay healthy.
On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Suffolk Family YMCA will host its annual Healthy Kids Day.
“We want to encourage families and children to venture out and see how we support a healthier lifestyle that can be fun for them,” said Shannan Gormley, health and wellness director at the Suffolk Family YMCA. “Activities will encompass all age ranges and create an opportunity for people to have fun, relax and spend the weekend.”
Inflatable houses, craft and healthy snack stations and a Dance, Dance Revolution Challenge will be available all day Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, there also will be a soccer skills challenge and a fire truck demonstration, with a 3-point shoot-out from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a pool relay from noon to 1 p.m.
All day on Sunday, there will be a football skills challenge, with a family fitness challenge from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and jump rope and Double Dutch activities from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
During the last hour of both days, the event will wrap up with family Zumba, an aerobic dance with Latin flare.
“It’s fun music,” Gormley said. “We’re taking our popular Zumba classes and making the movements and content age appropriate.”
Since the event spans two days, more families will have an opportunity to participate, Gormley said.
“It’s the first year we’ve done it on a Sunday,” she said. “But as always, it is free and there’s always a great sense of community.”