Tell a roomful of grade schoolers how important it is to develop healthy habits in childhood, and you may get a roomful of blank stares.
But show them how to yoga pose like a frog, and suddenly you have their attention.
That was the idea behind Kids Yoga, the latest offering in Penn Medicine Princeton Health’s series of kid-friendly and kid-focused healthy living programs.
The inaugural yoga class—held on a weekday September afternoon in Princeton Junction, N.J., a few miles from Princeton Medical Center—drew 10 children, ages 8 to 10. Debbie Millar, director of Community Wellness and a certified kids yoga instructor, led the young students through a series of games and warmup exercises before launching into beginner-level yoga poses, such as the tree, the spider and the aforementioned frog.
“Yoga has the same benefits for kids as it does for adults,” Millar said. “It improves posture and concentration. It helps people learn to be mindful and present in the moment. Most importantly, yoga can be fun, and that gives us a great chance to engage the kids. Adult behaviors can be ingrained in childhood, so we are trying to give kids a good start toward a healthy lifestyle.”
The next class is planned for January 2019. For details, visit www.princetonhcs.org/calendar and search the keywords kids yoga.
In addition to Kids Yoga, Community Wellness’ healthy living series for kids includes cooking and gardening classes designed to promote healthier food choices and family- and kid-oriented exercise programs, including offerings such as Zumba.
The premier event is the Kids Marathon, which is held every spring. Hundreds of area youngsters strive to walk, run or roll 25 miles over 10 weeks and then come together for a 1.2-mile fun run to complete the full distance of a marathon.
“The Kids Marathon started 10 years ago as part of an effort to create a fun way to combat childhood obesity,” said Carol Norris-Smith, vice president, Marketing & Public Affairs, which includes Community Wellness. “Young people with obesity face greater risk of physical, social and psychological issues, both now and later in life. Anything we can do to help them develop healthy habits today can have lifelong benefits.”
The percentage of children with obesity in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Children and adolescents with obesity face greater risk of bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and social and psychological issues. They also tend to have obesity as adults, making them more susceptible to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer. Research shows that type 2 diabetes is a growing problem among teens as well.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children age 6 and older get 60 minutes or more of physical activity every day.
According to the CDC, regular physical activity:
- Helps build and maintain healthy bones and muscles
- Helps reduce the risk of developing obesity and conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and certain types of cancer
- Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety and promotes psychological well-being
- May help improve students’ grades, attendance, cognitive performance (for example, memory) and classroom behavior