High schools are ready for fitness challenge
LaShanda Seaman, a reporter for the Youth News.com team was the brains behind the Inter-School Fitness Challenge three years ago. At just 15, her dream was to motivate and help children across the island with living a healthier lifestyle. The programme is now in its third year.Approximately 100 students of all sizes, ages and fitness levels have participated in the programme each year.Over 120 students from The Berkeley Institute, The Bermuda Institute, Warwick Academy, Saltus, Bermuda High School for Girls, Mount. St Agnes and CedarBridge Academy are participating in this year’s Challenge, which is sponsored by BF&M.The program will also be televised from next week on ZBM TV9 on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. The programming will also be available on The Royal Gazette website. The TV programming will consist of three minute segments which air in between The Young and The Restless and TV9 News (6.56pm 7pm) and on alternate weeks programming will be at 8pm on ZBM TV9.The onsite management team consists of counsellors, personal trainers and a nutrition specialist. Hannah Simpson, RD, Clinical Dietician will be assisting the students with their food choices.In each week, starting on November 5 through December 3, the routine consists of daily cardio and fun exercise. On Monday and Wednesday mornings students will make their way to the BFA Field for a 5.30am start! There they will team up and have a one hour boot camp.On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the students willgo to the Fusion Fitness Centre and enjoy a one hour work out with the owner and personal trainer Dianne. The organisers, Global Arts Entertainment, will inject some fun with a Shopping Cart Challengeand a Healthy Pizza Challenge.CEO Andrew Phillips said he and his team are excited to be able to bring this program to the youth and the community.He said the Inter-School Fitness Face Offs will add a lot of fun to the programme.“Although it is school vs school, we combine the teams during the challenge in to individual groups, so along the way everyone is a winner until one schools finally wins at the end of it.”The students are placed in to two teams. Team A is for students either wishing to gain muscle mass and/or get fitter. Team B is for obese students needing to lose weight and get fit. At the end of the Challenge there are two winners, one from each team.The winners will win a free trip to The 37th Annual United Nations International School Conference. This conference is hosted by The United Nations in New York. There will also be an overall school winner. The defending champions are The Bermuda Institute. Mount St. Agnes won the Challenge in the first year.
Shaunte Saphire is at University in the UK but took part in the first two Challenges.Shaunte said of the experience: “I am happy to say that this experience has changed my life for the better. I am grateful to the organizers for the opportunity to get on board when I did.“The weight-loss management and exercise skills that I learnt during it have proven to be invaluable. I not only had to exercise at least four times a week but I also learned the importance of eating right.“At the end I had lost ten pounds and was still considered to be clinically overweight. I was determined that even though the Challenge was over for me to work out with my peers, I was going to carry this new life style” with me forever.“The following year I travelled to the UK to continue my education. I quickly joined the University gym and created my own weight loss programme … after all, I had learned the necessary skills and had the tools necessary to succeed set achievable goals, determination, developing a healthy relationship with food, drinking water, exercising. Through the months the weight started peeling off and I began to start feeling healthy and more confident.“As Miss Teen Bermuda Islands 2011 - 2012, I had to look my best while being my best. I lost 30 pounds and dropped from a size 12 to a size 6. I am now happy with my weight.“I am fitter than I have ever been and 100 percent more confident. Exercise is now a part of my daily routine.”
