Jazzercise News Releases

For Supersized Kids, Inactivity is Worse Than Overeating

Organized Exercise a Growing Option for Sedentary Kids

CARLSBAD, Calif. (October 27, 2003) - More troubling than the number of overweight children is the decrease in physically active children, says Judi Sheppard Missett, Jazzercise founder and CEO. She warns the war on obesity and the risk of children developing serious health problems can only be stopped if parents find ways to transform their children's sedentary lives.

Studies from the Centers for Disease Control are conclusive. More than 74 percent of U.S. kids do not regularly participate in moderate physical activity, and their opportunities to break a sweat during the day are decreasing. Slashed school budgets have reduced the number of physical education classes, leaving more than two-thirds of students without daily PE and more than half not attending physical education classes at all.

Missett notes that the demise of PE couldn't come at a worse time; sedentary behavior among kids, at home and at school, is at an all-time-high.

"Kids used to be far more active just in their play habits—riding bikes, running on the playground, playing ball or walking to school," Missett says. "Now, their activities at school are reduced and they come home to TV, video games and junk food. With fewer school-sponsored physical activities available, parents will need to adopt the responsibility to either encourage their kids to go outside and play, or engage them in organized sports or fitness classes."

Organizing Exercise
The idea of organized fitness programs has struck a chord with many concerned parents. Missett's own Junior Jazzercise program has doubled the number of instructors over the past two years and seen participation climb at the same rate. Missett has responded by not only increasing the program's reach, but also hiring Junior Jazzercise Coordinator Joan Missett Gambill to manage and expand the company's existing kid-centric initiatives. Gambill began Junior Jazzercising at the age of 7, and now works to bring the Junior Jazzercise (for ages 6-11) and Team Dance (for preteens and teens) programs into numerous communities and schools nationwide.

Though Junior Jazzercise can help overweight kids lose pounds, the program's principles - teaching strength, coordination, endurance, nutrition and the importance of an active lifestyle - also aspire to instill a lifelong habit of regular exercise. Classes are often offered on campus after school, providing a familiar environment for kids and a comfort to working parents. The result? Missett and Gambill are finding that not only are more young children joining, they are also able to stick with it for years to come.

Gambill credits the program's popularity among its young participants to an environment that focuses less on competition and more on the stuff kids like: fun.

"Getting kids to exercise is often a question of motivation," Gambill says. "When competing with TV, movies and video games, we have to offer activities that are equally entertaining. We have to remember that we're not out to create perfect athletes. We're out to encourage kids and make it easier for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older."

Cassie Stark, who began Junior Jazzercise classes six years ago at age 6, has been regularly attending ever since. She says the cool moves and spending time with new friends are what keep her coming back for more.

"A lot of my friends say they're scared to try sports because they don't think they'll be good enough," Stark says. "But I like going to class. I've learned how to dance better and have made a lot of friends. We learn new routines together and sometimes even get to perform for our families."

Get an Early Start
Whether finding an organized fitness class or offering kids less structured options, Missett recommends instilling a habit of exercise at a young age through activities that aren't too overwhelming. And she points to playtime as the perfect year-round excuse to get them moving. Whether running through the sprinkler on a hot day, building an indoor obstacle course, hosting a dance slumber party or taking a family sledding trip, the most important thing, Missett says, is to get kids off the couch and on their feet.

"Most kids naturally tend to have a lot of energy, they just need a little encouragement to channel it productively," Missett says. "Parents and other adults now have an even greater responsibility to teach kids the value of an active lifestyle today. It's never too early to begin laying the foundation for a lifetime of fitness."

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Junior Jazzercise is a kids fitness program designed to teach coordination, strength and endurance, nutrition, and the importance of physical fitness to kids ages 6 to 11. Children worldwide have experience the joy of physical movement as they dance their way through specially choreographed age-appropriate routines to today's most popular music. For more information on Junior Jazzercise, visit www.jazzercise.com or contact Joan Missett Gambill at 760-603-8446.

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 6,800 instructors teaching 30,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information, go to jazzercise.com or call (800)FIT-IS-IT.