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Despite Obesity Concerns, Schools are Cutting Physical Education

July 20, 2012 by

In a biennial survey of high school students in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly half said that they had no physical education classes in an average week.

New York City under Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s push to increase awareness of childhood obesity has also seen a decrease in physical education classes from 14.4% a decade before now to the current 20.5% of students saying that they had no physical education in the past week.

Dr. John J. Ratey, a Harvard professor and author of “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” cited a 2010 study on the topic from the federal Health and Human Services Department.

“There is shrinking P.E. and recess time for our kids,” Dr. Ratey wrote. “P.E. teachers are fighting like cats and dogs to hold the line on their jobs and worth, at the same time as there is a dawning awareness that we have missed the boat.”

Despite the limited physical education classes Bloomberg has collected accolades from health advocates for recent anti-obesity programs, including calorie charts in chain restaurants, a ban on large drinks that contain sugar in certain settings, and limiting school vending machines based on calorie and sugar contents.

New Image Camps at Camp Pocono Trails has been a leader amongst promoting healthy habits through their summer weight loss camps for kids, New Image Camps is currently offering programs for kids and teenagers through the end of summer.

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Losing Weight and Gaining Self Confidence? Not Necessarily…

May 31, 2012 by

In a recent study conducted by Purdue sociology researcher Sarah Mustillo via the National Growth and Health Study it has been revealed that losing weight does not necessarily boost confidence and whether or not it does may depend on your race.

Mustillo analyzed ten years of data on upwards of 2,000 black and white girls.

Mustillo can’t say exactly why the effects of obesity-related stigma lingered for the white girls, but not the black. That’s a subject for future study.

New Image Camps makes self-esteem a top priority and focuses on making self-esteem an essential step in their four step summer teen weight loss camp.

New Image Camps philosophy:

From the moment campers arrive, they are treated with respect and caring
by our highly trained staff who are all devoted to the New Image philosophy:

1. Provide an environment where weight loss is an integral part of the summer camp experience

2. Promote health, wellness, integrity and learning

3. Build self-esteem and lasting friendships

4. Ensure individualized attention that yields results

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Summer Weight-Loss Camp Is…

March 14, 2012 by

If you are still deciding whether summer camp is the right place for your child or teen, here is a list of what summer weight loss camp is about:

  • Healthy life learning. Camp shouldn’t be about fad diets or deprivation, it’s about having fun learning about correct portion sizes and enjoying physical activities.
  • Sports should focus on participation, not competition. Staff should instruct and positively reinforce the efforts of kids who are having a great time while being physically active. Physical activity should never be stressful!
  • Team building. Team activities teach kids how to work successfully as a team and how to be a good sport. Team activities also help raise self-esteem and build friendships!
  • Water activities. Hot summer days can be spent on a private lake kayaking, canoeing, swimming, fishing or more! Kids at Camp Pocono Trails get the amazing experience of having an onsite private lakefront at their disposal.
  • Building friendships and making memories. The camp experience would be nothing without the lasting bonds of friendship that are developed and cultivated year after year at weight loss camp.

Camp Pocono Trails is the absolute best place your child or teen can spend a summer!

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Is Bariatric Surgery a Good Option for Teens?

February 17, 2012 by

Childhood and teenage obesity is not just a problem in the United States—it’s also a growing problem in Canada.

Looking for a solution to this epidemic, some teens are turning to drastic measures normally reserved for adults. Teens are pursuing bariatric surgery—a variety of procedures that includes gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastric banding, commonly known as lap band.

These extreme measures have drastic results, but also require some very intense lifestyle changes. The surgery forces people to permanently give up caffeine sources such as pop and coffee, to eat much smaller portions and often take a variety of vitamin supplements. In addition, not a lot is known about the long-term effects of the surgery, so if adverse effects occur, teens could be especially vulnerable later in life.

Before considering such major life changes, teens should try exercise and healthy diet to combat their obesity problem. Changing daily habits takes time, and may not have the quick results that bariatric surgery has. However, healthy eating and exercise is actually less restrictive and much less dangerous than surgery. Caffeine and other treats can continue to be enjoyed, in moderation, and vitamin deficiencies (as long as a variety of healthful foods are eaten) are not a concern.

One way to jump start weight loss for teens is to send them to a weight loss camp, such as Camp Pocono Trails. At camp, teens learn healthy habits, discover new ways to be active and make lifelong friends. One summer can make a dramatic difference in teen weight loss success!

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This summer, make losing weight a result of having fun!

January 27, 2012 by

At Camp Pocono Trails, we know that changing habits are the way to long-lasting weight loss success. That’s why our camp introduces kids to sports and activities they want to keep doing even after camp is over, because they discover they have fun doing them!

Unlike some weight-loss camps that focus on education for weight-loss success, Camp Pocono Trails focuses on fun and friendships to build healthy new habits along with self-esteem. The best summer ever? We think so!

There’s no limit to the fun outdoor activities your child can enjoy, thanks to Camp Pocono Trails’ own private lake front and TWO swimming pools (one for boys and one for girls) and the outstanding amenities our camp features.

Here are just a few of the many activity choices campers can enjoy:

  • Water skiing
  • Kayaking
  • Swimming
  • Basketball
  • Floor hockey
  • Golf driving range
  • Dance
  • Yoga
  • Nature hikes
  • Plays
  • Climbing wall

What activity will your child discover that helps him or her make a step toward a healthier future?

Additionally, you can have peace of mind about your child’s well-being at our camp because we are accredited by the American Camp Association! Not all camps are accredited.

ACA accreditation goes a step further than state and federal regulations to ensure safety in all aspects of camp operation: site/food service, transportation, health care, management, staffing and program. So you can feel good about the safety of your child while he or she is having the summer of a lifetime!

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Happy New Year from Camp Pocono Trails!

January 6, 2012 by

Happy 2012 from all of us at Camp Pocono Trails! A new year brings new challenges and opportunities for change and empowerment. What are the goals you’re going to reach this year?

If your family’s goals include weight loss for your kids, learning to live a healthy lifestyle, building self-esteem and creating lasting friendships then Camp Pocono Trails is the place for you! The 2012 Dates & Rates are now posted so you can find and register for the perfect weight loss adventure for you this summer!

Remember: Campers traveling from west of the Mississippi River to Camp Pocono Trails in Pennsylvania get FREE AIRFARE for a minimum 4-week stay! For details call 1-800-365-0056.

Nothing builds self-esteem like accomplishment. Nothing builds confidence like learning new skills. Nothing builds friendship like a common goal.

Imagine a fun-filled, life-changing summer for kids ages 7-19 filled with sports, cultural activities and outdoor adventures. Weight loss success, self-esteem and lasting friendships await you at Camp Pocono Trails!

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Weight Loss Camps: Good For Your Child’s Body and Mind

March 23, 2010 by

When overweight children go to weight loss camps they are surrounded, usually for the first time, by people who struggle with the same problem.  For most kids, this kind of environment fosters more confident, outgoing behavior, which can be very helpful when trying to focus on the goal of losing weight.  By removing large amounts of pressure, teen weight loss camps can enable your child to accomplish his or her goals.

Having a social network of people who are going through something similar to what you are going through drastically increases your chances for success.  This is why camps are so successful, and why so many kids report satisfaction and increased self esteem after coming home from summer weight loss camps.

The truth about our culture is that unhealthy eating habits are the norm, and teens trying to develop healthier eating habits often have a hard time finding the support they need from their friends or the people they go to school with.  At summer camps, everyone eats the same thing, and your kid will have the chance to form healthy habits that will become second nature by the time the summer is over.

Most parents try to limit what their children eat, but at the same time they have the responsibility of providing their children with discipline.  These days, everyone is pushing positive reinforcement, and there are only so many rewards parents can offer kids for appropriate behavior.  It is hard to find rewards that are more effective than candy, junk food, and time in front of the television.  Every parent uses these things to reward their child occasionally, and therefore it is particularly difficult to reward a child for abstaining from them.

At weight loss camps, the parents are not the ones enforcing a healthy diet, so the child does not consider former systems of reward and punishment to be necessarily related or relevant.  Camp counselors have the benefit of seeming more like an outside perspective than a figure of authority to the child.

When your child is presented with the absence of everything he or she is familiar with, replaced by a new, structured, and accepting environment, he or she will have a much easier time making lifestyle changes and becoming a more confident and outgoing person.  Making friends quickly becomes both necessary and easy.

In addition to making friends, kids attending a weight loss camp have the opportunity to talk to trained counselors who plan the time spent at the camp in a way engineered to best facilitate physical activity, weight loss, and a positive attitude.  Planned, friendly, competitive activities get kids active both physically and socially.

While a summer camp can help your child lose weight and become a healthier person, it is important to keep in mind that when your child comes home, he or she will be like a different person, and it will be important for the rest of the family to adopt new, healthier habits to show their support.

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Picking the Right Weight Loss Camp for Your Kids

August 24, 2009 by

Years ago, the term “fat camp” was used to describe the summer camps that kids and teens went to to lose weight. Those camps were typically intense experiences that did more harm than good for a number of the children. The weight loss was temporary at best, and the psychological strain was never worth the price that was paid. Today, fitness camps for kids are different. They focus on a holistic approach to weight loss that teach children long term healthy living strategies instead of focusing on losing weight quickly.

Parents that are considering sending their child to a summer weight loss camp often struggle with the final decision. Admittedly, sending your child away to get help with their weight loss takes power away from the parents and is a way of them saying “I give up. I need help.” This is never easy to do, but is often the best choice to make. Certainly, parents are able to learn the things that they need to and eventually can help their children get on the right track, but that takes a lot of time that many parents simply don’t have. There is nothing wrong with leaving it to professionals who have years of experience working with kids just like yours.

So, as you search around for weight loss camps for teens and kids, here are a few things that you might want to keep in mind to help you determine what camp is the best for your family.

First, check to make sure the camp uses a healthy weight loss approach. Although this seems obvious, you need to make sure you’re not sending your child to a camp that subscribes to the “old school” approach towards weight loss. This should include plenty of healthy choices at meals such that your kid won’t go hungry at camp. Look for samples of the daily menus and check for plenty of veggies, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains.

Second, look at the kinds of exercise activities that they offer. In short, these should be FUN. Camps that use things like weight rooms, tradmills, crunches, and so on are not going to be enjoyable, and therefore will not be successful for your child. The more fun your kid has at camp, the more exercise they will get, and the more successful they will be. One of the main goals for a weight loss camp should be to break the “exercise is boring” mentality and show kids that there are plenty of ways to exercise and have fun.

Also, as you evaluate weight loss camps, make sure that the camp you choose sets realistic goals for their campers. It is important to remember that children lose weight differently than adults and need to set goals with that in mind. A number of kids “grow in” to their healthy weights more than they shed pounds like adults do. Thus, be wary of any camp that promises to send back a “skinny kid” as that may not be the most healthy thing for your child.

Finally, as I said above, look for camps that use a holistic approach to weight loss. This should extend beyond diet and exercise. Many overweight children suffer from emotional issues like depression. If these emotional scars are not addresses, the chance of long term success will decline dramatically. Therefore, seek out camps that employ qualified counselors that give children the support they need to work through these difficult issues as they learn to be a whole healthy individual.

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Other Ways Weight Loss Camps Can Help Tweens

June 5, 2009 by

A tween (kids ages 8-12) is naturally inclined to feel uncertain as they lose the confidence that childhood offers. They start wondering about whether they will be accepted. Will they be popular? They might lose self-esteem and self-confidence, This is why a fitness camp might help because a fitness camp may boost their self-esteem.

The Journal of Consumer Research shared a study that linked materialism and self-confidence and how this varies among age groups. The groups were asked to make collages of the things that bring pleasure to their lives. Tweens aged 11-12 placed more pictures of materialistic things on the collages than pictures of family or goals. The younger groups placed more emphasis on family whereas the older teens placed more emphasis on futuristic goals.

In addition, a test group of the tweens were asked to read a positive message about themselves prior to making the collages. These tweens showed less materialism in their collages. This indicates that with more self-confidence comes less materialism.

Material possessions tend to be used to make up for other areas that the tween may feel are lacking. When they don’t have the self-confidence to think that they will be popular based on their own merits, things like Gap clothes or iPhones are used to gain popularity. This isn’t necessarily ‘new’ news, but rather is some empirical evidence to support what we all thought to be true.

You can easily see that by boosting your tweens self confidence levels, you’ll be giving them the tools they need to place less value on materialistic things. Weight loss camps can help you achieve this in a number of ways.

A fitness camp can help an overweight tween start down a healthier road towards ideal body weight. Girls tend to gain weight during puberty and some of this might be avoided if they begin exercising and eating properly. Many overweight children have lower levels of self-confidence, but once they are empowered to make positive changes, their self-confidence levels soar.

Athletic children also benefit from a fitness camp by learning techniques that will enhance their natural talents. When kids do well in sports, this is a great source of self-esteem, and in fact is one of the biggest benefits of children being involved in organized sports.

By spending the money now on a summer weight loss camp, you might be able to avoid some of those materialistic expenses in the future. Sure, your tween might still want that iPhone or pair of $100 Nike’s, but they’ll be easier to persuade towards less expensive items because they aren’t relying so heavily on the materialistic purchase as they will have the self-confidence to build relationships with peers on their own.

Not only that, but teaching your child to incorporate healthy habits now is a gift that will last a lifetime.

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Weight Loss Camps Benefit Parents As Well

May 28, 2009 by

If you’re a parent of an overweight child and are considering a summer weight loss camp to help them, you’ve made a good choice. Weight loss camps can be extremely beneficial for children in helping them learn ways to eat healthier and find exercise activities that they enjoy. However, what some parents don’t realize is that they can also benefit from sending their kids to a weight loss camp.

Many parents of overweight children do not consider weight loss camps as their first option. In most cases, they try to do things at home to help their children – forcing them to diet, signing them up for sports teams, and so on. These things are good, and can be effective, but often are not.

The reason that a number of these strategies do not work is because kids learn more from what they see their parents do versus what their parents tell them to do. A few years ago, after witnessing one of my superiors at my job make a critical mistake, he pulled me aside and said “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Unfortunately, this is how too many parents live with their children. It’s difficult to enforce a diet or exercise routine on your children if you don’t “walk the walk” yourself. This is where parents can benefit from sending their kids to weight loss camp.

At camp, your kids will learn how to “walk the walk” in an environment that isn’t home, which is why they can be so successful. A change in scenery is a great way to make dramatic changes in your lifestyle, and many parents of past campers report that they’ve learned from their children who have returned home.

Additionally, families can use the time that their child is away to make some changes at home. They can begin eating better and exercising more, which will benefit their personal health as well as make a more comfortable and supportive environment for their child to return to.

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