'Healthy Family Home'
YMCA program helps families get healthy
by RIKKI CASON Reporter

Sarah Smith, right, a YMCA fitness instructor, puts girls through a series of Hula Hoop exercises during the kickoff of the Healthy Family Home Program on April 15 at St. Leo the Great Church in Amherst. Shown from left are Sophie, Emily and Olivia Smith and Jody Hares.

T he Northeast Family Branch of the YMCA is encouraging families

to get fit by

following its new Healthy Family Home program, which empowers moms, dads and children to make better choices and lead healthier lives.

The nine-month program will host various activities each month and encourage families to work on a healthier lifestyle at home.

"This program was a creation of the YMCA of the USA in partnership with the Eli Lilly Foundation," said Fitness Director Jody Hares, who is in charge of the Healthy Family Home Program for the Northeast Family Branch, 4433 Main St., Amherst. "All the YMCAs that wanted to participate could."

The kickoff for the program was held April 15, when family packets were distributed, the program was explained and many activities and exercises were held.

Emily Smith of Amherst listens to Jody Hares, fitness director of the Northeast Branch of the YMCA, review starter kits distributed to families. Each kit gives helpful tips of how to live a healthier life.

Though the kickoff is over, people from throughout the Buffalo area can still join the program. Families do not have to be YMCA members, and the program is free to anyone interested in getting themselves and their families healthier.

At the beginning of each month, there are activities that feature different ideas on health. The next such event will be "Taste the Rainbow of Fruits and Vegetables," scheduled for May 6. "This focuses on all the colors," Hares said. "There will be nutritional information and tasting of different fruits and vegetables.

Other events include Family Olympics, June 3; Super Summer Sports, July 1; Family Cookout, Aug. 5; Sensational Snacks, Sept. 2; All About Apples, Oct. 7; Healthy Chili Cook-off, Nov. 4; and Healthy Holiday Party, Dec. 2.

Each event will be from 7 to 8 p.m. on a Tuesday at St. Leo the Great School, 903 Sweet Home Road, Amherst.

Though monthly events are held, the majority of the program and its effects take place in families' homes.

"The most important part is it's a home-based program," Hares said. "It's something they can do together. They can implement what works for them."

The healthy family program is based on three pillars for families to live by: Play Every Day, Eat Healthier and Family Time. According to the Web site, Healthy Family Home focuses on practical, achievable lifestyle changes in the areas of family life where small changes can have the biggest impact.

The Healthy Family Home starter kit includes many tips for families on how to live healthier. It gives examples for each of the three pillars.

To Eat Healthier, the kit gives examples on food choices, such as choosing fruit and vegetables as a snack.

For Family Time, it recommends getting children involved in snack and meal preparation and sitting down as a family for one meal.

For Play Every Day, it suggests playing basketball or tennis, riding bikes or jogging for at least 20 minutes at a time.

The kit also recommends having children make a family home tracking poster that identifies healthy-habit goals such as eating breakfast four days a week. It also has families do a Home Assessment Kit to evaluate their current health, and children are to draw their home and what it means to them.

"Families are so busy they don't have time to be healthy," said Hares, who thinks that the kit will help change that. "We are having a health crisis. One little step at a time helps to live a little healthier life."

To learn more about the YMCA Healthy Family Home program or to join, call Hares at 839-2543 or visit www.ymca.net.