Plainfield resident Shelley Talsma was determined to help her son Preston, 11, maintain a healthy weight.
She monitored what he ate and encouraged him to be active but that didn’t seem to be enough. Preston’s doctor suggested she enroll him in ProActive Kids, which she did for the winter 2015-16 session at Edward-Elmhurst Health & Fitness Center (EEHFC) in Woodridge.
ProActive Kids (PAK) is a free fitness and nutrition program for kids 8 to 14, whose weight is at the 85th percentile or higher. Online enrollment is available at www.proactivekids.org for sessions that begin June 13 at several PAK sites in the west and near northwest Chicago suburbs. Since 2010, PAK has served about 1,700 kids and their families.
The 8-week PAK program meets three afternoons a week – 4 to 5:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 4 to 6 on Fridays. The PAK coaches – a trainer, dietitian and clinical therapist – teach the kids and their families fun ways to improve their health. Included are lessons in smart eating and 45-minute workouts to build endurance, strength and flexibility.
It’s the third PAK component, lifestyle coaching, that sets the program apart, according to Nicki Klinkhamer, PAK Executive Director. This coaching focuses on communication and coping skills related to body image, bullies, and other concerns. Follow-up surveys show promising results. According to Klinkhamer, 73 percent of surveyed parents from the winter session at Woodridge said they agreed that “my child seems to like who she/he is better.” More than 80 percent agreed or strongly agreed that “My child is more confident in his/her abilities.”
“In week 7, I was getting calls from parents and my son’s teacher, noticing the difference in Preston – how he looked physically . . . his confidence, making friends . . . volunteering, just incredible changes,” says Shelley.
Preston’s physical changes included a 2.1 percent decrease in body fat, weight loss of almost 4 lbs. and a fat-free mass increase of just under a pound.
“Preston doesn’t open up easily, so the Lifestyle discussion about bottling up negative emotions was helpful,” Talsma adds. “In one of the exercises I learned he hadn’t been playing sports much because he was self-conscious about not keeping up – something that had never come up at home.”
Dan Johnson, a trainer at EEHFC in Woodridge and PAK program coordinator at that site, says, “At first Preston wasn’t totally on board with the exercise part of the program. But, eventually I saw him working harder and even smiling about it. And when we tried volleyball I could see he found it fun. It was great to see him becoming more motivated. And now he’s taken up volleyball.”
“ProActive Kids is about much more than just managing weight,” says Klinkhamer. “It’s about encouraging a healthy lifestyle for the whole family. That’s why family members are invited to join the Friday sessions where they can participate in the nutrition and lifestyle sessions and the workouts. And, twice a month parents-only sessions allow them to share ideas about which strategies are working for their families and which aren’t.”
The summer session of ProActive Kids will be held June 13 – August 5 at the Edward-Elmhurst Health & Fitness Center, 6600 Route 53 in Woodridge. For more information or to enroll, call 630-681-1558, email info@proactivekids.org or visit www.proactivekids.org.