It's Wednesday afternoon at the Magnum Power Force Gym and eleven year old Benjamin Bramlett is busy breaking a sweat.

Benjamin wants to lose ten pounds and to reach his goal he is already well on the way, having recently begun a regular exercise schedule and cut all junk food out of his diet.

Benjamin is part of a group of children taking part in the Magnum Power Force Gym's private exercises classes for teens who want to get fit and shed some unwanted pounds.

During the afternoon session of circuit training exercises the group goes from a series of step aerobic moves to lunging, squats, and stomach crunches. Weight training at this age can stunt muscle development, so the youngsters are taken through a series of exercises designed to keep the children's heart rate levels up and burn plenty of calories.

"I liked junk foods but there's none left in our house now," said Benjamin, adding that his entire family has jumped on the health conscious bandwagon.

"We are buying things like reduced fat chips if we want a snack and eating apples instead of things like Cheetos."

In January Magnum Gym owner Karen Magnum set up the classes for teens to provide a programme to counter growing rates of obesity in Bermuda's school aged children. Internationally, obesity rates are on the rise with health experts reporting that 300 million people worldwide are obese.One in three American adults is obese and one in four Britons in obese.

The 2001 Teen Wellness Survey, the latest to date, shows that only 37 per cent of students met the norm for aerobic fitness, and many went home from school to watch television and play video games instead of exercising and playing sports.

Gym fitness trainer Shane Power, who helps run the tri-weekly classes, said youngsters are not getting enough exercise and deal with plenty of distractions, namely those presented by video and computer games. Mr. Power, who struggled with a weight problem himself when he was a youngster, describes himself as a "computer freak" who was able to drop the extra weight when he discovered the martial art of tae kwon doe.

Mr. Power said Bermudian eating trends closely follow those of the US, with locals acquiring tastes for heavy fried foods, plenty of dressings on meat and salads, and lots of sweet, sugary drinks like soda and fruit juice. "It's the lifestyle they're living, I call it the day of the pre-made dinner when you have lots of parents who are out working and need to feed their families as well as juggling all the stress of working life," he said.

He encourages children to make simple changes like remove chicken skin, reduce any dressings they use, and avoid soda.Although Mr. Power gives out some dietary advice, the main goal of the class is to get the kids to exercise and have fun. Once they get into the habit of exercising regularly Power said the weight falls off, as a child's metabolism is much faster than an adults. The rewards are numerous ? not only are the kids slimmer and fitter, they feel better about themselves and where some may be teased for being a little on the chubby side, Mr. Power said dropping a few pounds equals a renewed sense of confidence.

"After they get toned and conditioned they begin to trim down in a matter of weeks," said Mr. Power.

The classes are held several times a week and have attracted children who are already fit and enjoy exercising to teens who have set the goal to lose 20-30 pounds before beach season arrives.

Michelle Outerbridge, 16, and Sascha Griffith, 17, students at Bermuda Institute, each want to lose 20 to 30 pounds. That means no Kentucky Fried Chicken after school and the dedication to exercising whenever they can in their spare time.

Taj Phipps, who is a student at Warwick Academy said he has given up all foods which are greasy and fatty. He said he gained the extra pounds from snacking while playing video games and told his mother he wanted to go to the class to get fit.

"I've given up foods I love like french fries and KFC and I've been cutting back on dressing and soda," he said.

Mr. Power said the kids are enthusiastic and with a combination of a quick diet fix and regular exercise they can reach their target weight quickly. "It's fun for them, and it's important because once they learn the importance of regular exercise at an early age it will become part of their lifestyle."

Kimberley Tatem brought her home-schooled daughters to the class to ensure they get enough exercise and use the hourly session three days a week as their physical education class. Diabetes and heart disease runs in her family, and Mrs. Tatem wants the girls to take preventative measures at an early age.

"In Bermuda we live a very sedentary lifestyle. Whereas people in Boston or New York walk to work or take the subway, often we hop on our bike and drive to the store rather than walking."

Mr. Power recommends families to set some time aside every week to make exercise part of family time. Instead of snacking and renting DVDs he suggests getting outside to go for a walk or a jog. He encourages the community to adopt a health conscious lifestyle so adults can be fitness role models for our children.

"It's important that kids have role models at an early age so they can take the habits they've learn and make it into a lifestyle," he said.