Program Developed to Make a Difference in youth sports & Fitness
Determined to make a dent in local youth obesity rates, a Brampton fitness professional is launching what he calls the city’s first fitness camp designed exclusively to help children foster a lifelong love of healthy living.
"Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions with factors such as fast food, computers, TV, video games, all contributing to the problem," said David Kittner, founder of True Youth Sports Brampton Fit Camp.
"Over 50 per cent of our children are overweight and almost 20 per cent are obese. We’re elated to begin offering the True Youth Sports Brampton Fit Camp program to help combat this problem and to introduce kids, ages eight to 13, to a healthy fitness lifestyle in a safe, fun, and non-intimidating format."
A report released by Peel Public Health earlier this year entitled "A Picture of Health" reveals 47 per cent of the Region’s 1.2 million population is overweight or obese.
The report findings also show that many youngsters in Peel struggle with weight as a result of lack of exercise.
With obesity rates among youngsters hitting dangerous levels, Kittner, a fitness expert with more than 15 years of experience, said he felt compelled to do something about it.
This led to the idea of introducing a proper fitness camp for children that strives to instill the importance of being active early on.
"It’s sad to see how many unhealthy kids there are out there," Kittner said. "The vast majority of kids today have sedentary lifestyles even if they’re participating in organized sports activities … so offering this much needed program was a no-brainer."
Kittner said the True Youth Sports Brampton Fit Camp training system has been developed by the world’s leading youth fitness organization, the International Youth Conditioning Association, and will be delivered by certified fitness professionals who will help motivate and inspire the kids to be active and have fun.
"Our programs are designed with safety and fun in mind; if it’s not fun, kids are not going to stick with youth sports," he said.