Youth fitness program begins at Allegheny Valley YMCA
Officials at the Allegheny Valley YMCA are taking their battle against youth obesity and wellness public.
With a $9,350 grant from Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the 'Y' has purchased exercise equipment designed for young people.
And the public can use it free of charge.
"A lot of it was from Highmark's end," said Joe Reinard, who is in charge of the program. "We felt we would offer it as a public service."
Equipment purchased with the grant include STRIVE brand Kidz Ab Crunch and Kidz Low Back Extension machines. The devices are specifically designed to improve muscular strength and metabolism in young people.
Also, Reinard said, the money will be used to buy an elliptical total body trainer and a semi-recumbent exercise bike, which focus on cardiovascular fitness.
The new purchases will give the 'Y' a total of 10 machines designed for youth.
In addition, a $2,500 grant from the food and beverage giant, PepsiCo, is helping to provide classes.
"A lot of this is specifically created to develop metabolism in youth," Reinard said. "We did a body fat analysis at our Healthy Family Day and we determined that a lot of kids are not where they should be in terms of body fat."
The program is limited to children ages 7 to 13, Reinard said.
"We felt that is best age for children to develop more muscle coordination and learn to do these exercise patterns," he said. "If you learn to do these patterns at this stage in life, it is going to last you a lifetime."
Ivan Stapchuck, 9, of Clinton has been on the program for four weeks and his sister Kira, 10,for about eight weeks. Both think it is something they will stay with for a long time.
"They are a good workout. You can work a lot stuff on it and it is good for me for football and other sports," Ivan said .
"I started using them to get in shape for cheerleading and for softball," Kira said. "I feel very tired and sometimes sore (but) I feel really good about myself, that I've done a good job. And I feel really stronger."
She said that other youths, including those who are overweight, are noticing changes for the better.
Kenneth Stapchuck, Ivan and Kira's father, said the program is working for them.
"They have a lot more energy," he said. "Mainly, I just didn't want them laying around watching TV and playing video games. I wanted to try to keep them in shape for the summer.
"They are more toned and they are thinning out a little bit. I think it's a really good program."
At the start of the 16-week program, Reinard said participants will have base measurements taken for things such as body fat. The measurements will be tracked and progress shown will be shared with Highmark to prove that the program is effective.
New Kensington 'Y's youth program
The New Kensington branch of the Valley Points YMCA also has an exercise program to fight youth obesity and promote wellness, according to Vicki Kolakowski, New Kensington branch director.
Kolakowski said the 'Y' has set up an exercise area specifically for youth, called the Adrenaline Zone.
It's different from the Allegheny Valley program because it involves the use of virtual reality/video games to get young people interested in exercising along with six pieces of Nautilus equipment designed for youth. It was paid for through more than $25,000 in grants through various sources including Verizon, state Rep. John Pallone and the city's Weed and Seed program.
"We saw the trend a couple years ago and started writing grants and dedicating space in the facility," Kolakowski said. The program focuses on youngsters 8 to 14.
"We found the younger kids needed something more than just the gym," she said. "Not everybody wanted basketball. They wanted more. And the younger ones are where the obesity starts and continues into adult obesity.
"The room is really popular with the kids" she saidd. "They have their own workout cards. It's helping us show progress when we report back to the grant-givers."
Tom Yerace can be reached at tyerace@tribweb.com or 724-226-4675.
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