Many of our eating and exercise patterns are learned early in life.

That’s why Winchester Hospital is offering a free nutrition and fitness program for kids called Weigh Your Options. This new session, appropriate for children 8- to12-years-old, will run every Thursday from April 26 to May 31 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Baldwin Park I, 12 Alfred St. in Woburn.

The nutrition portion of the program consists of an introductory session with the child and parent; six weeks of taste-testing and other fun activities for children that are interactive, hands-on and educational; and two classes for parents to provide education and support.

The physical education component includes six weeks of fitness classes for children (which are held after their nutrition classes) and two fun and easy fitness classes for parents.

“The program is great; kids participate and interact in both parts – fitness and nutrition,” says Julie Martineau, RN who will be running the nutrition program. “They enjoy coming each week and look forward to trying new exercises and new food. The program is a great balance of fun and education, and will help them choose the path to a healthy childhood.”

The curriculum includes information on fruits and vegetables, dairy and calcium, beverages, whole grains, snacks and MyPlate for Kids. Parents learn role modeling, recipes, healthy snacks and strategies to deal with picky eaters.

“During the fitness program, children are introduced to different types of fitness activities and equipment,” said fitness instructor Jennifer Corvino. “Parents will join in an interactive session with their children for two of the six classes. Aerobics, games, fun music, weights and mats are all components of this class that teach fitness as a mandatory part of a healthy lifestyle.”

For more information, please contact Julie Martineau at (781) 756-7069 or e-mail at jmartineau@winhosp.org.

About Winchester Hospital
Winchester Hospital is the first community hospital in Massachusetts to earn Magnet® recognition, the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s highest honor for nursing excellence. As the northwest suburban Boston area’s leading provider of comprehensive health care services, the 229-bed facility provides care in general, bariatric and vascular surgery, orthopedics, cardiology, pulmonary medicine, oncology, radiation oncology, gastroenterology, urology, gynecologic urology, rehabilitation, pain management, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics and a Level IIB Special Care Nursery. Winchester Hospital has clinical affiliations with several nationally recognized hospitals in the region, including Children’s Hospital Boston, Tufts Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. To learn more, visit www.winchesterhospital.org.