YMCA programs help kids, families get in shape

MONROE — Nine-year-old Amanda Lee likes to swim and jump rope and play basketball and softball.

“She’s definitely an active kid,” said her mom, Deidre Lee.

But with Amanda’s grandmother living with diabetes, both Amanda and her mom are aware of every extra pound and the importance of healthy eating.

So when family physician Dr. Deb Nalty told Amanda’s mother about a free program at the local YMCA to help overweight kids get more active and teach them healthy eating tips, Amanda was one of the first to sign up.

“She’s thrilled,” her mom said. “She said, ‘Mom, I really want to do this.’”

The free, 12-week program is being offered for up to 100 kids and their parents at YMCAs throughout Snohomish County. Most of the classes are for kids between the ages of 8 and 11. The Marysville YMCA is the only branch offering the program to 12- to 14-year-olds.

Monroe is starting its program on Jan. 28. The Everett, Mukilteo and southeast Everett branches are starting their programs on Feb. 4. Marysville kicks off its program for 12- to 14-year-olds on March 3.

To register for the program, kids must be in the top 15 percent of weight for their age and height and be referred to the program by their family physician. Parents must agree to participate with their child in the twice-weekly classes.

Nalty, the Monroe physician, said about a third of the children she sees are overweight and about half are out of shape.

“We always make suggestions, but this is something so concrete,” she said of the YMCA programs.

Kids as young as age 6 often tell Nalty about feeling sad or being picked on at school over weight issues, she said.

Both kids and parents want help, she said. “They just don’t know what to do.”

The most important part of the program is teaching kids and parents how to have fun doing physical activity, said Beth Greaves, health and wellness director at the Monroe YMCA. Kids and parents can participate in activities such as jumping rope, swimming, playing volleyball or kickball, and taking aerobic dance classes.

The free classes, called Strong Kids and Strong Teens, are just part of the efforts to battle childhood obesity in Snohomish County.

Last year, a Snohomish Health District report found that 22 percent of kids in eighth, 10th and 12th grades are obese or at risk for obesity, which can lead to a lifetime of health issues, including heart problems and diabetes.

The YMCA classes emphasize the importance of changing the activity and eating habits of the whole family, said Caroline Brown, health and fitness director at the Marysville YMCA, which first adopted the children’s fitness program two years ago.

Those who complete the 12-week class will be eligible for a free, six-week follow-up class to help kids and adults stick with their new healthy habits, she said.

The program grew out of research at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle that identified the most effective ways to get kids in better shape, Brown said.

Amanda Lee, now in the fourth grade, wants to shape up so she can wear a two-piece bathing suit on an upcoming family vacation to Mexico and so she can be a cheerleader in high school.

Her mom, who used to play basketball in high school, acknowledges she, too, would like to lose some weight. “But when do you have time to do it?”

Deidre Lee said she knows one of the big keys to healthy weight is learning how to eat well. But at the end of a long day, it’s hard to juggle healthy meal planning and other family tasks, she said.

The YMCA classes will include tips from registered dietitians. “They will teach us how to cook, what foods are helpful versus hurtful,” she said.

“That’s what prompted me to want to do this,” she added. “I want to set the example.”

Her daughter, Amanda, said she’s looking forward to activities such as jumping rope and playing basketball. “And my mom and grandma will do it with me,” she said.

“I think it’s going to be fun,” Amanda said. “And I’m going to start eating healthier — that’s a bonus.”

Herald reporter Sharon Salyer at 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.