Sorry for the late blog post, folks, but it’s been a crazy-busy week at the Fitness Farm, full of fun and exercise! Our energetic campers learned about the important “ingredients” in fitness routines that help them build and improve muscular endurance, strength, cardiovascular health, flexibility, and body composition. Then campers put these important ingredients into action, participating in group-fitness rotations all week.
Day by day, campers are making gains in health and fitness.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop! Cardio is a huge part of our daily activities at camp. Each day, campers are challenged to reach higher levels of cardio and endurance. Last week, we challenged campers to hit the track in a cardio relay. Camper Nevaeh talked about her challenges with cardio and the improvements made since camp started. “Cardio challenges me to push myself more than before,” Nevaeh said. “When running around the track, each station challenges me to keep going on. When I get to the last obstacle on the track, I am happy to cross the finish line and remind myself that I am getting better!” Stories like this is why we do what we do at Forever Fit camp — changing lives, one camper at a time.
Strength Grows in the Moments! Physical fitness is an important part of life, and strength is one of the “ingredients” that we’ve talked about, stressing how important building strength is, not just at camp but also for life. But for some campers, strength is a challenge. They aren’t used to working out their muscles, but all campers have what it takes to become strong and fit. Last week they built strength by doing push-ups, sit-ups, squats, planks, and so much more. Camper Brianna talked about how far she’s come— and her story is awesome. “Before camp I couldn’t do much in the strength category, but now I can do more,” Brianna said. “Before camp, I wasn’t able to do sit-ups well — maybe 5. Now, I can do 20 sit-ups! My goal is to do 30 by the end of camp. The strength station has taught me about how much muscle I truly have.”
I Bend, But I Don’t Break! Last week, campers also learned about the importance of flexibility improving theirs through stretches and yoga. Camper Seanyce talked about her experience with flexibility stations and yoga. “I’m learning how to become more flexible and how stretching relaxes me,” Seanyce said. “The flex station calms me when I’m stressed or frustrated. When I take deep breaths during yoga stretches, I can feel my body relax and loosen up, and the negative feelings begin to go away.”
You Gotta Nourish to Flourish! One of our stations teaches a lesson on nutrition and how to eat healthy. We want campers to understand the importance of consuming healthy foods with the proper nutrients, and how to substitute good foods for bad. Camper Trey filled me in on his nutrition journey. A returning camper from years past, Trey’s come a long way, and he’s focused on the food he eats. “The nutrition portion of the fitness rotations has helped me better understand what I eat and how to portion my food,” Trey said. “I’ve lost 5 pounds since camp began. I’ve noticed how I eat more fruits and vegetables than before camp. I am excited about becoming fit for my future in football.” And like Trey, we can’t wait to see what he —and all our campers —achieves by the end of camp. Stay Tuned!
