Grace Reilley and her family often make fruit smoothies together during 'Family Time,'
Grace first tried smoothies as part of Univera Healthcare's Fun 2B Fit.  See Photo

For immediate release: March 3, 2009
Contact: Olivia Belter - (716) 857-6312

Buffalo, NY - Usually when children break a staple household appliance, like the blender, they might be sentenced to 'time out' or have to use their hard-earned allowance to replace it.

But not Grace Reilley, 8, of Clarence.

Grace's parents couldn't complain about the broken blender since it was caused by over-use from making a large number of nutritious smoothies. Grace participated in Univera Healthcare's Fun 2B Fit. healthy lifestyle program at her school and as she and her classmates sampled 12 different recipes as part of a taste testing, she fell in love with this one item in particular.

"I really liked the smoothie," said Grace. "I like the smooth and silky feeling and the tasty fruit in it."

Grace and her parents, Mike and Cindy, began making the fruity drinks at home together as part of 'family time' which is a few quiet minutes the Reilleys can share out of an average, hectic day.

"With seven kids, we're always going in ten different directions," comments dad Mike Reilley. "Plus there is so much junk food available to kids these days...it's challenging to sit down and have a snack, let alone a meal together. You have to make it a priority."

Grace participated in the taste testing as a second grader at Country Parkway Elementary last year, and this year as a third grader, participated in a different component of Fun 2B Fit that focuses on physical activity.

"Grace came home after the workout and was very enthusiastic about it," commented Mike. "And even though she did the taste testing last year, the program really hit a nerve with her...she's remembering what she learned."

Fun 2B Fit encourages children and their families to make healthier food choices by trying new foods, increasing their level of physical activity, shopping for healthy foods and preparing meals together.

Fun 2B Fit was created by Univera Healthcare and is based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the New York State Learning Standards. According to the American Obesity Association, of six to 11 year olds, 30% are classified as overweight and 15% are considered obese.

During the taste testing, second grade students receive laminated recipe cards to take home so they can make each recipe with their family. They also receive a lime green, kid-sized chef apron encouraging them to cook with their parents and help with food preparation.

Third graders participate in a 30-minute workout where they, led by a Fun 2B Fit fitness instructor, take part in a program developed especially for kids that incorporates easy, fun dance moves and stretches. During the workout, students learn various muscles of the body and their function, and discuss the importance of physical activity and how these activities can be done at home with family members.

Parents of all third grade students participating receive a backpack full of tools to help them make healthy choices for their families. Each tool kit contains a magnetic grocery pad for the refrigerator with pre-printed healthy items on each tear-off page, a magnet with everyday tips on how parents can keep their kids healthy, a Healthy Family Pledge to be signed and displayed in the home, and the tool kit itself is a sling-style backpack that can be reused as a gym bag, or to take on family outings.

Fun 2B Fit offers a shopping and food preparation field trip to a local Wegmans store for fourth graders. The 'Eat Well. Live Well.' tour is a 2-hour tour of Wegmans based on the Food Guide Pyramid. The tour is intended to be the first step in developing good eating habits by introducing children to a variety of healthful foods in a fun and interactive way.

More than 17,000 Western New York students at 70 schools have participated. Fun 2B Fit is being offered to local schools after a successful pilot program was conducted in 2005.

This summer, Fun 2B Fit received the prestigious Community Leadership Award from America's Health Insurance Plans, which is considered to be the leading national health plan organization. Fun 2B Fit has also been honored with two awards for Publication Excellence (APEX Awards), two international MarCom Creative Awards, a Civic Empowerment Award from the Greater Buffalo All-America City committee, an Award of Distinction from the Video Communicator Awards, and a World Wide Web Health Award.

Fun 2B Fit program partners include Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., Body Shaping By Sandy, and Lifetime Health Medical Group.

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