Kids in Glenmore Park are swapping screen time for sunshine after school on Tuesday afternoons thanks to a new initiative organised by a local gym.
Snap Fitness Glenmore Park began running a free Community Kids Bootcamp on May 20 to teach local youth about fun, fitness, and healthy habits.
“We have a wonderful community here at Glenmore Park and we want to get the kids off their iPads and phones and introduce them to exercise, health and fitness, and explain why it’s important,” said Joanne Gorski, Club Manager of the local gym.
Gorski noted the importance of teaching kids about health as screen time increases, saying it’s more important now than ever.
“Screen time is not good for kids’ health and their brains,” Gorski explained.
“Some kids are also accustomed to eating a lot of junk food and don’t understand why they should eat healthy foods, so we can teach them about that through the boot camps.
“We can bring food to the park, introduce health food and fruits, and explain what’s important for their bodies.”
The boot camp is also beneficial to parents.
“A lot of parents here don’t have the help and support of extended family and they want to do things with their kids,” the club manager explained.
“People in the community are also financially distressed, which is why we’re doing this for free.”
The classes are run by trainer and nutritionist Kristy Smith, who maintains a similar structure for each lesson, but shakes up the activities.
“There will be a variety of activities in the boot camp whether it’s jumping hurdles or sprint racing or juggling – we’ll make it as inventive and exciting as possible,” Gorski described.
“There will be stations that kids will go to, and each class will be set up roughly the same.”
Find out more by calling Snap Fitness Glenmore Park at 0493 868 883 or emailing glenmorepark@snapfitness.com.au.
Ally Hall
Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She's a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.