F.I.T. Helps Local Families Make Lifestyle Changes

NMMC Fitness

Sheila Biffle counts sit-ups with a weighted ball for her son, Cameron Killenger.

TUPELO, Miss. (Press Release) — Twelve-year-old Cameron Killenger of Tupelo feels “a whole lot better” now that he’s getting in shape.

Cameron and his mother, Sheila Biffle, recently participated in North Mississippi Medical Center’s F.I.T. (Families in Transformation) program. Thirteen children ages 8-13 met for an hour three days each week for nine weeks at the NMMC Wellness Center. Each child was required to have a parent participate as well. The program finished with the HealthWorks! Tie-Dye 5K Run on May 17.

During F.I.T., nutrition and fitness experts from the Wellness Center offered health education, fun exercise, cooking demonstrations, coaching and encouragement. Cameron heard about the program at school and asked his mother if they could sign up because he wanted to lose weight and get in shape.

“While a few of the children had significant weight loss, the most significant change in all participants was their cardiovascular capacity and strength,” said Kelli Phipps, Wellness Center aerobics and health education supervisor. “Each child was timed during the aerobic portion of the pre- and post-tests. Nine of the 13 increased their time significantly. All 13 improved on strength and flexibility.”

Cameron lost 10 pounds during the nine-week program, and now his goal is to keep it off. He increased his aerobic capacity from three minutes at the start of the program to seven minutes and fifteen seconds. With increased capacity came motivation. “He cut back on watching television from about three hours a day to one hour,” his mother said. “Now he plays basketball with a friend or rides his bike. He’s looking forward to swimming a lot this summer.”

Alice Anne Lee, a registered dietitian with the Wellness Center, led the nutrition sessions. They discussed recommended daily servings, portion sizes and label reading, among other topics. During their cooking demonstration day, the children made two items from their F.I.T. recipe book to serve parents. “The kids thoroughly enjoyed the cooking demo,” Lee said. “I could tell that they had been listening during the nutrition classes because they were reading the nutrition labels and making sure to use the proper measuring cups and spoons to follow the recipe exactly.”

Lee challenged the children to try a new food each week. “They were very excited to report back the different food items they had tried, and how many calories and what the serving sizes were,” she said. “It was very helpful to have parents there too, because it drove home that this was going to be an overall family ‘lifestyle’ change. It helped the kids to know they wouldn’t be alone in this.”

“I liked learning how to eat better,” Cameron said. “I looked at food labels before, but I didn’t really know what everything meant. All I knew about were calories and sugar.” He is taking what he learned to heart and trying new foods at home: green beans, black-eyed peas, corn, mango, broccoli and cauliflower.

“It was really beneficial for the program to include both the child and parent because it helped motivate both of us,” said Cameron’s mother, who didn’t exercise much in the past. Now she walks every day, rides bikes with Cameron or works out. Cameron looks forward to joining the Wellness Center with her when he turns 13 in September.

The Tweedy family of Tupelo also benefited from F.I.T. Jim Tweedy is a former Marine and National Guard member who works out five days a week at the Wellness Center. His son, 10-year-old Wyatt, wanted to lose excess weight he gained over the last year as a side effect of a new medication. “The nutrition part of the program was great because now he wants to read food labels,” Tweedy said. “Now he knows that I’m not the only person who watches labels.”

Wyatt enjoyed making pizza with vegetables like onion, bell pepper, mushroom, cauliflower and broccoli, and he liked making a fruit smoothie. His favorite new exercise was Piloxing, which combines moves from both Pilates and boxing.

“Wyatt really looked forward to it,” Tweedy said. “Now he’s mindful about what he eats, and he wants to get out and get sweaty.”

Phipps said organizers saw “a major change” in attitude. “When we did a midpoint check and the kids realized how far they had come, we could see a boost in their self-esteem,” she said. “The program was a success, friendships were made and with the F.I.T. toolkits they received, families can continue their exercise regimen at home.

Lee agrees. “It was definitely worth the time and effort to see the kids’ smiling faces on the post-test day when they realized how much their health had improved.”

F.I.T. was sponsored in part by the Healthy Tupelo Task Force and the Northeast Mississippi Medical Society, with instruction provided onsite by Wellness Center staff. For more information about fitness programs for children, call (662) 377-4147 or 1-800-THE DESK (1-800-843-3375).

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