Today, children on the whole seem to be (1) expending less energy due the elimination of  physical activities, like P.E., and (2) consuming foods high in both simple sugars and fat.  In addition, our lives have become faster paced; we have less time to do what we need to do, so we welcome more convenient, faster ways to eat quickly prepared food.  Couple this with the fact that almost everywhere we turn, there are fast-food establishments offering "dollar" menus, making eating at those places cheap and convenient.  All of these components-less physical activity, consuming food stuff high in fat and simple sugars-make for a sure-fire way to expand the youth obese population more than ever.

Due to this growing trend, many parents must start accepting responsibility for their children's health, taking the initiative to enlist help in instilling healthy eating and physical activity habits in them while they are still impressionable.  If they learn how to live healthy and active early in life, they will be more inclined to continue the lifestyle into adulthood.  This is the mission of our children's fitness program.  Although the workouts are not at all easy, we care less about exactly how many push-ups or sit-ups, for example, the children can perform and more about pointing them in the right direction in terms of a healthy and happy lifestyle.  We created the UB Kids program with the right balance of physical challenges, nutritional education and fun.  I am proud to report that so far this program has been a resounding success!