BANGOR – Making exercise fun is what the Bangor YMCA’s Wellness Across America program has done for many youth who are members of the YMCA’s After School Program. Youth in grades three through six who participate in the program have had the opportunity to be a part of a new activity that instructs them how to exercise properly and effectively.

“One of the goals of Wellness Across America is to show the kids how to exercise correctly and also have fun,” said Robin Thibodeau, Bangor YMCA child care director.

Under the supervision of a group facilitator and two fitness instructors, up to 12 children ages 8 through 12 meet twice weekly for an hour after school in the YMCA’s Rehabilitation Fitness Center.

Program members can use the center’s StairMaster, exercise bikes, treadmills and rowing machines. At the end of the day, the facilitator logs their mileage. At the close of the school year, the miles will be added and measured across a map of the United States to see how far across America the kids have “traveled” as a group.

“Setting goals is a terrific challenge and meeting those goals improves their self-esteem,” said Thibodeau. “The kids really look forward to it.”

Thibodeau began Wellness Across America as a trial program in January, offering it as an activity choice to youths in the After School Program. The program engages the participants in a variety of activities each day. Twice weekly students attend a club of their choice and continue to be a part of that club for approximately eight weeks. At the end of the eight-week session, each youth selects a new club to take part in.

Wellness Club, as dubbed by the children who take part in it, has sparked an interest in exercise among many youths, who also enjoy the opportunity to be active in a club that is separate from younger children.

At the beginning of each Wellness Club session, Bangor YMCA Health and Fitness Director Sean Haggerty and members of his staff give instruction on how to use the fitness equipment correctly.

In the current activity session, club members also are introduced to the benefits of exercising with dumbbell weights and their own body weight. However, each exerciser must earn the opportunity to work with weights by exhibiting respectful and good behavior, and proper use of fitness equipment.

“It is very important to be able to follow instructions well in order to learn the correct way in which to exercise and use exercise equipment,” Haggerty said. “Once the kids have shown us they are able to do that, they can move on to learning how to properly strengthen through various exercises, such as squats, lunges and crunches.”

Getting and keeping youths motivated to develop healthy habits and exercise routines can be challenging, but it is extremely important to their quality of life in later years. The American College of Sports Medicine states that physical inactivity is, in large part, the reason for the increase in childhood and adolescent obesity over the past decade.

In the sixth edition of “Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription,” the ACSM reports that “inactivity and obesity, when carried into adulthood, are associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other health problems.”

“Through exposing youth to a variety of physical activity, kids build confidence, become stronger and can carry this experience with them to other parts of their life,” Haggerty said.