2011 Season
Focus: Fitness

The 2011 MWAM band completed a strong 60 show tour throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The focus of the tour was fitness and healthy habits; helpful information and statistics can be found below.

In the United States:

• About ~300,000 people die because of obesity
• There are an average of 2.4 million deaths a year, making fitness issues nearly 10% of deaths: that's a lot!

Lack of fitness can start from a young age:

• 16% of kids are obese
• They have an 80% chance of becoming obese adults!

These numbers are highly influenced by parents:

• Having one obese parent gives the child a 50% chance of being obese
• Make it two parents, it goes up to a whopping 80%.

Despite these factors, it's never too late to change up the habits. Parents, take note: you have a big influence on your kid. If you can start a healthy plan for the family, everyone will benefit from it by reducing health issues (and you'll lose those extra pounds you don't want!)

• Joining a sport is a great idea, especially at a young age. It will reinforce healthy habits.
• Have the kids join with friends! They need encouragement not only from parents, but from peers, too. Having a huge following is an amazing incentive for kids to keep at it.
• It's not much they have to do. Average recommended exercise for kids is 20-30 minutes for about 2-3 days. Most sport coaches demand more which is even better!
• Pick healthy choices for kids. There are a lot of tasty snacks that can keep hunger at bay while eating smart.

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