by Calista Sprague
If you have never heard of the kids’ cable channel Nickelodeon, either you don’t have children or you have been living under a rock. But have you seen their new program called “Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge?” This challenge just might be the ticket to get your child excited about exercise and healthy eating. In partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation) the Nickelodeon program follows the progress of four kids chosen from around the U.S. who have committed to creating healthier lifestyles for themselves, their families and their communities.
One of the four participants hails from right here in the Chattahoochee Valley!“Barrier Breaker” Wes, a 14-year-old from Phenix City, has taken the challenge in an effort to help his family become healthier through regular exercise and more nutritious meals. Wes sees his family’s busy lifestyle as the barrier keeping them from better health. Their story resonates with families both here in the Valley and across the nation as so many of us struggle to balance the numerous demands on our time.
To help the kids on their quest for health, each was partnered with a local coach. Mike Stanislawski, P.E. teacher at Pine Ridge Elementary and health instructor at Troy University, has teamed up with Wes and his family for five months to help them incorporate healthy habits into their hectic lives.
When asked about Wes and his progress, Stanislawski smiled brightly. “He is a great kid and he has done excellent! Everybody in his family is involved. They are real supportive. They are taking the challenge and doing a really good job. I think their biggest downfall was just their eating habits. And getting them involved in other types of activity because other than golf, they were pretty sedentary.”
Stanislawski points to the usual suspects in the fight for better health. He says that too much TV, video games, sodas and fast foods combined with too little exercise, water and fruits and vegetables are leading kids to sedentary lifestyles with startling increases in childhood obesity. Programs like “Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge” are a fun way to encourage children and their families toward better habits and better health.
Tune in to Nickelodeon on August 27 at 8:30 for the fourth update of the challenge. And to follow Wes’ progress, have your kids check out his personal video diary footage on www.turbonick.com. Also, on the Nickelodeon website (www.nick.com/letsjustplay) kids can read about Wes and the other challengers, and they can even join the challenge themselves. Nick.com asks them to pick a challenger to support, to commit to making four small changes in their daily life and to track their progress on the website. Almost 80,000 kids around the country have already registered.
We will check in again on Wes, his family and his coach. In the mean time, let us know if your child decides to sign up for the challenge and what changes your family makes as a result. Just send an e-mail to contactus@ valleyparent.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
