DOLPHIN CO.

 CHILD OBESITY HAS BECOME AN EPIDEMIC!!

Millions of our youth struggle with weight issues and obesity. Participation in physical activity declines as children get older - 69% of 9th graders participate in vigorous physical activity on a regular basis, while only 55% of 12th graders participate in the same level of activity.

The news media continues to shine a spotlight on the startling fact that approximately 16 percent of children and teens, ages 6-19 years, are overweight. The percentage of young people who are overweight - over 9 million - has more than tripled since 1980.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80% if one parent, or both, is overweight or obese. Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million are obese, and 9 million are severely obese. The most immediate consequence of being overweight, as perceived by children, is social discrimination!! But that is about to change!

Celebrity fitness trainer - Tony Horton, and celebrity choreographer - Shaun T, have created programs that no kid of any age can resist. They will have everyone moving and grooving, and staying fit with cool, modern dance moves and the coolest music. These workouts feel less like exercise and more like a party! And who does not love a party?

Regardless of size, shape, gender, fitness level, and dancing ability - Tony Horton and Shaun T make getting in shape so much fun, it is sure to be one thing you will not have to remind kids to do! Kids will experience and learn he benefits of balance, coordination, and flexibility, along with the advantages of eating right, staying active, and making healthy choices. They will love every stretch, hop, kick, and twist as they laugh their way through an array of fun and simple routines that anyone can do.

Kids will never get bored because these workouts have all the things kids love: awesome music, energetic moves, and the coolest instructors who are with them every step of the way. There has never been a more fun way for kids to get fit, then to get them excited about exercise and give them a fun way to burn off that excess energy!

Did you know? According to David Ziczenko, editor-in-chief of Men's Health magazine, "Belly fat - the fat that pushes our waist out - is the most dangerous fat on the body ... because it resides within striking distance of your heart, liver, and other vital organs - pressing on them, feeding them poisons, and messing with their daily function." Dancing is one of the most effective - and fun - ways to lose weight, sculpt, and tone from head to toe. It is a total-body workout that gets hearts pumping and even helps with coordination and flexibility. Exercising actually gives you more energy. Rather than draining it, exercising gets blood pumping and muscles toned for tackling all kinds of activities. The one thing most everyone has in common these days is precious little spare time. People's lives have gotten progressively busier, and when something has to fall by the wayside, it is usually exercise.

So Remember - The most immediate consequence of being overweight, as perceived by children, is social discrimination! With a childhood obesity crisis sweeping the nation, it is time to help children reshape their bodies while teaching them to develop healthy habits that will give them a lifetime of rewards.

 Childhood obesity has become an epidemic, we can NOT ignore!