Kids, Teens Fitness Program Emphasizes Empowerment

By Laura Brothers February 6, 2015

Fit 4 Long Island offers fitness programs for kids and teens in Suffolk County. Kids and teens learn about fitness and making healthy food choices, and build self-esteem.

Fit 4 Long Island also hosts free cooking workshops at Real Deal Fitness and UFC Gym.

Rachel Joffe started Fit 4 Long Island in November after running similar nutrition and fitness programs in various hospitals in New York City. She decided to branch out on her own to create a health program that sparks kids’ interest, she says.

“We try to reach the kids through games, activities, and team building,” Joffe says. “We want them to take the initiative.”

Joffe, a social worker who has successfully lost weight herself, uses empowerment and motivation in her nutrition and fitness classes. She tailors the program to participants’ needs to reach everyone in her classes. Joffe also designs fitness and nutrition programs for schools and camps.

Split into two programs, Joffe runs a kids program for ages 8-12 and a teen program for 13- to 18-year-olds. Her classes differ slightly for each age group, noting that teens prefer a more real life approach. Joffe says in the teen program she will look at a restaurant menu with class members and help each teen choose a 500-calorie meal, and then they will go to the restaurant to eat. In addition, she offers classes that focus on body image and other teen-related issues.

In the kids program, Joffe wants the kids to interact and become interested in what they are doing, she says. She gave an example of giving kids two vegetables and having the kids go on a scavenger hunt to decide which healthy toppings they liked best on the vegetables.

The programs are monthly, with weekly meetings for a minimum of 2 hours, Joffe says. Enrollment is currently open for the February program.