Yoga is elementary for these school kids

Published 9:00 pm Friday, September 23, 2005

LYNNWOOD – Downward-facing dog, tree and plank might sound like confused pets and inanimate objects to many people, but a group at Beverly Elementary School knows exactly how to strike those yoga poses.

Through knowledge of healthy eating and exercises such as yoga, students’ well-being has become more important to the children involved in YMCA’s Activate America program.

The effort started through the Shoreline/South County YMCA after-school program at Beverly last year and is now offered at Meadowdale Elementary School.

Last week, families celebrated the program, which is being introduced at local schools before it takes off nationwide.

JC Penney representative Ralph Rutledge presented a $25,000 grant to the Greater Seattle YMCA’s president Neil Nicoll at the event. Both said they are enthusiastic about the program.

“It’s exciting to see that kids will embrace a healthy lifestyle,” Nicoll said.

And embrace they have. Student and parent responses have been positive.

Elizabeth Rimar, 9, and Lauren Lynch, 10, flexed their knowledge – and biceps – with a speech they’d written about what they’d learned.

Parent Julie England served on the Total Lifestyle Changes Committee, which created activities and tested ideas during the pilot part of the program. She said the results are evident in her home, as well as the after-school program.

“They’ve been eating so much better here at school,” England said.

She said her family was able to create more healthful routines by writing things down, including how much water, sleep and exercise they were getting.

Writing it all down is an important aspect of the program, Shoreline/South County YMCA branch executive Courtney Whitaker said. One key to the program’s success is making kids aware of their choices and encouraging them to choose healthy options, she said.

Each day after school, YMCA staffers offer healthy snacks and encourage the children to help them prepare the snacks, Whitaker said.

“(It) gives them some ownership and opportunity to make healthy choices themselves,” she said.

The children also play games and talk about the importance of being active.

YMCA staff involved families in the project by asking children to fill out their logs at home with their parents. They also created newsletters that featured healthy recipes and activities to encourage families to be active together, Whitaker said.

YMCA representative Carla Hilderbrand said it’s ultimately an effort to combat the youth obesity crisis that the nation is facing.

“It’s really about making a lifestyle change,” Hilderbrand said.