IF THE FUN FITS, DO IT OBESITY CONCERN OF LEVINE.Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer WOODLAND HILLS - Not even an early morning rainstorm could dampen participants' enthusiasm Saturday for the Fit & Fun Challenge, which drew an estimated 1,900 participants to Warner Center Park. Children, parents and teachers ran, walked, jogged, biked, skated and even jumped roped along the 5K course. Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, who organized the event, ran the 3.1 miles in a brisk 19 minutes, 20 seconds and then jogged back to chat with other participants. ``I think people are concerned about childhood obesity childhood obesity Public health Overweight in a child, an average BMI of ≥ 85% for age and sex; ≥ 95% for age and sex is very obese. See Body-mass index, Obesity. Cf Adult obesity. ,'' said Levine, 36. ``This gives people something they can do about it. ... This is about the whole community coming together.'' Nearly 45 percent of the children living in Levine's 40th Assembly District are considered ``unfit unfit not properly prepared, e.g. physically incapable of performing hard work as in racing, because of lack of training. Said also of food prepared unhygienically. unfit for human consumption ,'' according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. . To combat the epidemic of childhood obesity and fight ``Fatafornia,'' Levine's event encourages everyone to participate, no matter how they complete the event or their fitness level. ``If you make kids run a lap as punishment, they think fitness is work,'' Levine said. ``If you throw a soccer ball on the field and tell them to go play soccer, they'll run around for two hours and think it's fun.'' Brandon Gilden, 9, who attends Encino Elementary School elementary school: see school. , was excited about the thought of walking in the rain. ``He said, 'Mom, we're going, rain or shine,' and he made me get up out of bed,'' said his mother, Trina, 45, who walked with him. ``I feel like I've got more power'' after exercising, Brandon said as he approached the 2-mile marker. ``I'm not tired; I'm so hyper A Greek work meaning "above" or "more than." It is used as a prefix to technical concepts and products to convey a more advanced or more automatic capability. !'' Edward P. Fiszer, principal of NEW Academy Canoga Park, said the charter school has incorporated yoga and other physical activities into its curriculum because active kids are more receptive learners. ``It helps give them focus and gets them prepared to learn,'' said Fiszer, whose school had about 100 parents, teachers and students participating in the event. ``It reduces the stress levels in kids. ``Focusing only on academics is a mistake; you have to look at the whole child.'' Marisela Valenzuela, 30, credited the academy's emphasis on fitness with improving the health and grades of her two older children, Omar, 9 and Jaqueline, 8. ``Over the last year, they've lost weight and now they're fit,'' Valenzuela said. ``Their grades are better, and now they sit and read books.'' Lisa M. Sodders, (818) 713-3663 lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Christopher Melenez, 7, of NEW Academy Canoga Park warms up with his teammates before Saturday's Fit & Fun Challenge at Warner Park
Warner Park is a community park in northern Madison, Wisconsin. in Woodland Hills. Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News |
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