Get Ready for Summer (June 8, 2009)

Covenant Health fitness expert Missy Kane is running toward summer at full speed.
What else would you expect from a former university track coach, past Olympic runner, and Pan American Games medalist?
“Sweet, sweet summertime,” Kane sighs contentedly. “I love it ‘cause I’m an outdoor gal.”
Fresh off of Covenant Health’s spring hiking series and a fitness walking program sponsored by Covenant Weight Management Center, Kane is gearing up for the warmest months of the year with a special summer goal.
“To inspire young people,” she states with determination. “To show them that exercise can help them feel better about themselves and influence their health and weight for a lifetime.”
These days, it seems you’ll find children in front of a television or a computer in the summertime more than playing outside. The inactivity combined with a diet of processed snacks and fast food meals has contributed to an alarming rise in the rate of childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes.
Family Fit Tips
Kane has paired up with WVLT reporter Kiley Yarbrough to promote a list of Family Fit Tips for summer. The two women became friends during Kane’s walking program at the Covenant Health kiosk in West Town Mall earlier this year. Both are busy moms who lament their lack of time for exercise. However, both are committed to raising fit families.
Kane jokes that she often refers to herself as the “Bag Lady,” because she keeps a bag in her car with running shoes, an extra t-shirt, water bottles, and anything else she might use to exercise when she’s pressed for time.
“We are all so busy with running errands, kids, and work,” says the mother of two. “I’ll squeeze in a walk near my seven-year-old’s school right before I pick her up, or head to a local park and jog/walk 20 minutes between speaking engagements. Getting in even a short workout is better than none.”
Kane points out that kids don’t spend long summer days running and playing freely in the neighborhoods the way their parents and grandparents did as children. That could be due, in part, to adults’ concerns about their safety. So Kane and Yarbrough are telling parents to make getting outdoors a family

They encourage family outings to local parks, outdoor picnics, and vacations that are planned around what kids can do instead of what they can see. In addition, these moms on the move tell parents to keep healthy snacks on hand and cut down on sugary drinks.
Teaching Teens
While Kane and Yarbrough are both mothers of young children, Kane has also faced the family fitness war on another front. She knows what it’s like to be the mother of a teenager, which presents a new set of challenges.
Kane believes teenagers need a reason to exercise. It’s seldom enough to tell them to “go outside and play,” especially if they aren’t interested in athletics. Forcing them to shoot baskets or play catch can make some teenagers downright miserable.
“My daughter and her friends have been very active in running track and that’s kept them fit and having fun,” Kane says. “But taking part in organized sports isn’t every teenager’s cup of tea.”
With those teens in mind, Kane is bringing back her Teen Fit and Fun show on ETPtv this summer. It’s a ramped up version of the popular fitness show underwritten by Covenant Health. Teen Fit and Fun features only teenaged guests with lots of talk about getting active and living life to the fullest in summertime.
“We schedule Teen Fit and Fun a little later in the day because I know teenagers love to sleep late during the summer,” Kane says.
The show will air Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m. in June and July on public television.
“It’s about knocking down barriers to fitness,” Kane says. “You can’t exactly say it’s too early to exercise, because the show is on four and a half hours later than my show for adults. You can’t say it’s too hot outside to exercise when you can exercise in the air conditioned comfort of your home.”
Kane encourages viewers to go at their own pace when they watch the show. She also emphasizes that regular visits to a pediatrician or family physician should be part of every child’s fitness plan.
“We have a lot of great doctors at Covenant Health with offices in nine counties,” Kane says. “Just go to covenanthealth.com, click on Find a Physician, and type in the service area where you live.”
Physicians may also be located by calling the Fit and Fun hotline at (865) 541-4500.