This is all new equipment that was paid for with grant funding from Good Sports and the United Way
Johnny Garcia, 11, a student at the Holyoke Community Charter School, uses a new piece of youth-sized exercise equipment at the Holyoke Y.
HOLYOKE - The Greater Holyoke YMCA has overhauled a youth fitness room and is promoting exercise and healthy eating among young people as part of an initiative to reduce childhood obesity in the city.
The Y recently unveiled its newly renovated Fit Zone room, which is outfitted with new youth-size exercise equipment, including elliptical machines, treadmills, exercise bikes and equipment that simulates the movement of snowboarding and skiing.
"This is all new equipment that was paid for with grant funding from Good Sports and
the United Way to revamp this whole space," said Jennifer Gilburg, associate executive director of the Holyoke Y.
The fitness room is part of a larger community effort to get kids to exercise and eat healthy foods. Holyoke is one of 40 communities across the country that received federal grant funding to create a multi-sector approach to reducing childhood obesity in the community. Some 40 percent of children and 66 percent of adults in Holyoke are considered overweight or obese, which is about two-thirds of the city's population, according to Gilburg.
As part of the grant-funded initiative, the city is promoting "Let's Move Holyoke," a program involving numerous nonprofits in the city geared toward educating people about exercise and healthy eating. The bilingual program has adopted as its motto: 5210 and is encouraging people to eat 5 or more fruits or vegetables daily, limit screen time to 2 hours or less each day (including TV, video games, computer time, and more), participate in 1 hour or more of physical activity, and consume 0 sugary drinks.
Gilburg said the Y has removed Wii programs in the Fit Zone to reduce that screen time and the new exercise equipment is helping young people in the city to get the one hour or more of physical activity being promoted through "Let's Move Holyoke."
Gilburg said promotional materials from Let's Move Holyoke are being distributed to corner stores throughout the city and are also be given to patients at the Holyoke Health Center and through the WIC program. Staff members at the Y are working with kids to create Healthy Living Plans, identifying ways for them to get daily exercise and choose healthy foods.
The Holyoke Health Center also is working with patients to create those plans for their families and students at the Morgan School and at a Head Start program. They are developing their own Healthy Living Plans as part of the health curriculum. Other schools are expected to begin using the plans down the road.
At the Y, Holyoke public school students use the new Fit Zone exercise equipment in after-school programs, as do children who are members of the YMCA. The Y has created tracking charts that each child can fill out to monitor their progress as they exercise over weeks and months.
Gilburg said the new Fit Zone helps members of the Y - both adults and children - to get exercise. Parents taking an exercise class can drop off their children at Fit Zone for a supervised workout. Fit Zone is open to kids six and older. The hours are Monday-Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. til noon. During school breaks, Fit Zone is open from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., as well.
"We wanted to create a place where families can come and be healthy together," Gilburg said.
"We offer 51 adult fitness programs throughout the day and the entire family can come to our Y and get healthy together."
On a recent afternoon, a group of students in an after-school program tried out the new exercise equipment.
Ariana Santiago, 10, a student at Donahue School, said she likes a machine called the Moon Walker.
"I like how I can exercise my legs and arms at the same time," she said. "I like all these machines better because they are smaller than the old ones."
Wilnely Figueroa, 9, a student at E.N. White, said kids in the after-school program love the new Fit Zone.
"It's a lot of fun and exercise makes you feel good," she said. "You can also meet new friends in here."
Jamio Roman, 10, a student at Sullivan School, said he likes how the new equipment tracks heart rate.
Chris McKiernan of South Hadley dropped her two daughters Siobhan McAllister, 10, and Aileen McAllister, off at Fit Zone as she headed to an aerobics class.
"My older daughter came for the first time yesterday and she couldn't wait to show her sister," McKiernan said.
"It's just really fun," Siobhan said.