Broward County Schools, 6th Largest in Nation, Provides Spoga4Kids Workout Program for 17,000 3rd Graders to Improve Student Health

Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) January 9, 2006

To improve the health and success of their students, reduce stress, fight childhood diabetes and obesity, and respond to a national fitness initiative, the Broward County Schools in Florida, the sixth largest school district in the United States, has developed an exciting new in-classroom fitness program. Beginning in January, they have added the new Spoga®4Kids™ workout program in video and DVD format to over 17,000 third graders.

Spoga4Kids is a series of five 15-minute 'workouts' featuring playful energetic moves that stimulate the brain, activate the heart, and put a smile on the children’s faces. Spoga4Kids offers a healthy fitness break for children in the classroom. It improves breathing and posture, provides gentle aerobics, relaxation, flexibility via gentle yoga-like moves, and muscle strengthening exercises. Spoga4Kids also increases the children’s mental alertness for learning and testing, and improves their health in an era when physical fitness classes have been reduced in many schools to just once a week. The initial January, 2006 launch of Spoga4Kids in the Broward County School system is in conjunction with their Commit 2B Fit program that was introduced at the beginning of the school year to all of their 3rd grade students.

The Commit 2B Fit public service campaign is an educational, grassroots youth fitness and nutrition program that promotes healthy eating and physical activity to both parents and children. Commit 2B Fit is a partnership between the School Board of Broward County (“SBBC”) and the Beasley Broadcasting Group, which is the parent company of radio stations WKIS-FM, WPOW-FM and WQAM, in Miami, Florida. Major sponsors include Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Vista Healthplans, CSC of Broward, Florida Department of Citrus and Publix Supermarkets.

The American Heart Association has identified childhood obesity as their #1 issue in 2006. The American Diabetes Association is also focusing on children's fitness and childhood obesity and the alarming increase in the adult onset of Type II diabetes in kids. Children's fitness, stress levels, and overweight issues are a national epidemic. Spoga4Kids is a new Recess Solution™ that helps teachers find, in-classroom solutions to the fitness challenge that is being implemented nationally.

According to Elly Zanin, Curriculum Specialist, Physical Education, The School Board of Broward County, “Spoga®4Kids™ will serve two needs. After lunch, kids often need to be calmed down and Spoga4Kids will bring them back to focus academically. In the mid-afternoon, kids are mentally bogged down and Spoga4Kids will reenergize them so they will continue to be more on task academically longer in the day."

Valerie George, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Robert Stempel School of Public Health, Florida International University in Miami focusing on Obesity Prevention through the promotion of physical activity states, “Spoga®4Kids™ will enable children to learn new skills to help with balance, physical activity, as well as stress reduction through breathing. This may even help kids learn to relax before taking exams. If Spoga4Kids has a positive impact, we can try it in the middle and high schools, too. I'm for anything that gets kids more physically active!"

Spoga4Kids was created by Melinda Lee, founder of Spoga® International, creator and executive producer of the Spoga® & Simply Spoga® DVDs. A Fitness and Wellness coach, she is the Vice President/Community Liaison of the BankAtlantic Foundation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Editor-at-Large of Balance Magazine, a free-lance writer and professional speaker. She has an RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) designation and has earned a BS in Marketing from Miami University.

Melinda has presented for Clemson University, Gather the Women International, e-Women Network, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Board of Education, ABWA (American Business Women Association), EWI (Executive Women International), etc. Articles by and about her have appeared in First For Women, Fitness Journal, Natural Awakenings, scene, Today’s Coach, Balance Magazine, WCW (West Coast Woman), and more. She has appeared as an articulate, vibrant guest on numerous radio and television talk shows and has hosted her own hour-long radio talk show, “Personal Best.”

Note: Spoga is pronounced Sp-oh-ga…and is a spunky, playful, stretching, bending, FUN way to breathe and move the body.

To arrange an interview, obtain jpeg photos, or for more information, call Wendy Brickman at (831) 594-7500. To reach Melinda Lee, call (941) 366-8535.

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