Boot camp held in city to fight childhood obesity

‘Must make better use of open spaces’

November 11, 2019 01:48 am | Updated 01:48 am IST - Ananya Biswal Mumbai

An endurance building and running boot camp designed to enhance fitness levels in children was held in the city on Sunday.

The boot camp aimed at creating awareness of childhood obesity, was organised by Love Your Parks Mumbai (LYP) along with Kleinetics and Mumbai Juniorthon at Bandra’s Patwardhan Park. Children between the ages of five and 16 participated.

Bhavna Mehta, founder, Juniorthon, said children should make better use of open spaces, and that childhood obesity needs to be fought in their developmental years.

The boot camp involved seven to eight ‘time-bound stations,’ each focussing on different ways of skill development. “The high knees that we are using today teach speed, the agility poles help in strengthening the lower body. We also have jigsaws which would help in concentration building. The children will learn how to deal with obstructions and react faster and improve adaptability,” Namrata Thakur, a national-level football player who was coaching the children, said.

The school bag issue

Ms. Thakur said children these days hesitate even to carry their own school bags. “For this, we have incorporated bits of jumping, soccer, throwing and speed shoots which is a favourite among the children here.”

Raksha Jain, mother of eight-year-old Garv, a participant at the camp, said boot camps are essential in helping build fitness in children. “My son is into gymnastics and skating because I understand something like physical fitness needs attention in children from a nascent age. I feel the mentality of parents is slowly changing. Many of them are aware of the importance of physical activity in fighting childhood obesity, which is on the rise in India, but do not act upon it.”

LYP is a community-led initiative to promote utilisation of open spaces.

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