YMCA holding Healthy Kids Day

LYNN – The Lynn YMCA will host its annual free Healthy Kids Day initiative, which aims to help children and families exercise their minds and bodies, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.”One in three (U.S.) children is obese,” said Audrey Jimenez, executive director of the Lynn YMCA. “This statistic, coupled with the fact that once summer hits children become more inactive, demonstrates why it’s important to help families create healthy habits now.”Jimenez said part of the Y’s commitment to healthy living is through the YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day.”Our goal is to help to provide access to our facilities in order to improve the health and well-being of kids and their families with healthy-living habits that they can continue into adulthood,” she said.The YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day is the Y’s national initiative to improve families’ health and well-being. It will feature a community resource table, demonstrations, Lynn fire and police vehicles, healthy cooking/food information, a performance by Lynn’s own ITM dance/step teams and more fun things to motivate and educate families on how to incorporate healthy routines into their lifestyle, Jimenez said.The Healthy Kids day is celebrated at more than 1,600 YMCAs across the country, and the single goal is to get kids and their families moving and learning, so they can keep up the healthy habits all summer long. Research shows that without access to out-of-school physical and learning activities, kids fall behind academically. Kids also gain weight twice as fast during summer than the school year.Jimenez said in honor of the Lynn event, the YMCA is offering the following tips to help families develop healthy habits:u High five fruits and veggies: That means get at least five servings a day to maintain healthy eating habits.u Foster an early and ongoing passion for books: Read to and with your kids and they will read into adulthood.u Team up for athletic events: Set a family goal to team up for community and charity events like races, walks, fun runs, bike rides, hikes and likewise.u Volunteer together: Find a cause that matters to the family and volunteer. It will open your kids’ eyes to the world beyond themselves.u Lead by example: Be a good adult role model. Kids are influenced by seeing the work ethics and habits of parents/guardians. Don’t forget that.The free family event at the Lynn YMCA, 20 Neptune Blvd., is open to the public.