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Health & Fitness

Forever Young

JCC helps children get in shape; stay focused and relaxed.

Elizabeth Applebaum
Special to the Jewish News

F

or some children, the word "exer-
cise" means getting up from the
couch to find the remote or drag-
ging themselves from the computer to the
kitchen for another bag of chips.
This is the kind of thing that gives fit-
ness aficionados Marci Berlin and Karen
Ockner the creeps.
But instead of employing the adult's
usual communication when telling chil-
dren to do something — nagging or lec-
turing — the two women, along with the
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan
Detroit, decided to take action.
The JCC in West Bloomfield is offering
Kidz Fitness, a new program for boys and
girls ages 6-14 (classes are divided into
one for children ages 6-9 and another for
children 10-14) that features yoga, Pilates,
sports games, kickboxing and more. The
program is free for all children of JCC
members whose parents have, at mini-
mum, general membership at the Center.
Michael Piper, fitness director at the
JCC, designed the Kidz Fitness program.
He is passionate about children's fitness
and was determined to create a program
that would be as accessible as possible.
"Kids need to start early to be fit:' Piper
says. "It helps with concentration, with
sleeping, with staying alert in school and
with rest and relaxation:'
And it helps in the battle against child-
hood obesity — a problem that affects
more than 9 million American children,
with another 8 million at risk, accord-
ing to the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention. This number has tripled since
1980 and brings a sad forecast for the

Stretch To Help

0

ne-dozen fitness studios and
centers will offer free classes on
Sunday, March 15, to benefit the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
Sponsored by Federation's Women's
Department, yoga, pilates, barre and other
classes will be offered throughout the
day and throughout the Detroit area for
women of all ages and abilities.

future: Adolescents who are overweight
have a 70 percent chance of being over-
weight or obese adults.
Yet exercising often presents two prob-
lems for busy families, Piper said. First,
fitness centers invariably are for adult use
only. Second, parents do not always have
available childcare once they finally man-
age to squeeze in a workout.
The Kidz Fitness program solves both
problems by bringing in special equip-
ment just for the children and by holding
the classes after dinner, from 7-7:45 p.m.,
so boys and girls can exercise while Mom
or Dad enjoys (okay, maybe not "enjoys")
the treadmill or elliptical machine.
Piper brought on Berlin and Ockner
because of their skills both with fitness
and children.
Ockner, whose background is in dance
and gymnastics, is an aerobics instructor
with more than 24 years of experience in
fitness. Today, she teaches yoga and Pilates
through Kidz Fitness.
Ockner says she was hooked on yoga
from the first time she tried it and now
passes on that love to children.
"Yoga emphasizes strength and flex-
ibility," which are important to everyone,
she says. It also provides an opportunity
to learn how to relieve stress. So children
who practice yoga not only set a pattern
for good physical fitness, they learn how to
relax, "how to take a deep breath and deal
with things that come their way."
Yoga further offers bonuses for children
whose primary interest may be other
sports, says Ockner, a mother of four.
It helps improve balance, for example
— perfect for the girl who loves to ski or
the budding gymnast.
Ockner has managed to create a pro-

gram both for the beginner and more
advanced yoga and Pilates student. "You
can come and work at your own level:'
she says — a philosophy echoed by
Marci Berlin.
Her fitness games, she stresses, are
"about working against yourself There are
no winners and no losers."
Berlin, a mother of three, provides Kidz
Fitness students with a program of games,
activities and cardio movements that are
fun. Think kickball, relays, hula hoops and
the beautiful parachute.
"Fitness for kids is important because
there are so many things to keep them
inside today, from televisions to comput-
ers," she says. "They're not even learning
very basic skills like how to throw and
catch a ball. And if you don't learn these
now, you won't want to do them as you
get older."

But "make fitness a part of your rou-
tine now and it will become part of your
healthy lifestyle — part of your life
— forever," she says.
Berlin, who admits she was a bit of a
tomboy growing up, also emphasizes the
affect fitness has on mental health. "If you
have a healthy body,' she says, "you will
have a healthy mind." ❑

"The word 'yoga means union," said
Marcie Orley, Women's Department
Campaign chair. "We hope that this pro-
gram helps unite us as Jewish women
with a common goal of helping the com-
munity. All of the studios and classes that
will be offered at 'Stretch to Help' afford
us the opportunity to become more
focused, more conscious and aware of
our own bodies. At the same time, we can
raise our awareness of meeting the needs
of others."

Women are required to make a
minimum pledge of $18 to the Jewish
Federation in order to participate, and
they must register in advance. Space is
limited and reservations will be granted
on a first-come, first-served basis.
RSVP online at jewishdetroit.org/
stretch by March 2. A confirmation e-
mail with location and time will be sent
one week prior to the event.
For more information, call (248) 642-
4260, ext. 202. ❑

Purim Tributes

Madison Vandecar, Chen Vaisbuch, Hadar Vaisbuch, Lilly Ganhi, Ariel Cole,
David Cole, Lauren Cole and Julia Castle participate in Kidz Fitness.

Kidz Fitness classes are held every
Wednesday at the JCC in West
Bloomfield. Sessions alternate
between yoga/Pilates and aerobics/
sports games. There is no registra-
tion and participants do not need to
bring any equipment. For informa-
tion, contact Michael Piper, (248)
432-5427, mpiper@jccdet.org .

In keeping with the tradition of giving
gifts to the needy on Purim, the Berkley-
based Yad Ezra kosher food bank is offer-
ing Purim tribute cards. They come in
packets of six for $36 and are tax deduct-
ible. Proceeds will provide groceries
and healthcare items for 1,500 families.
Contact Yad Ezra, (248) 548-3663 or
yadezra.org, by March 3. Purim is March 9.

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February 19 • 2009

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