Press Room

ACE Introduces Free Youth Fitness Curriculum for Educators

Posted: Apr 08, 2005 in

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – April 08, 2005 – As childhood obesity rates continue to rise, there is an increased need for children to learn about the extreme dangers of being overweight. The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s nonprofit fitness authority, today announced it will offer Operation FitKids™ Youth Fitness Curriculum, a new educational tool that can be directly and easily integrated into the classroom at no cost to educators.

“More children are at risk of developing life-threatening diseases as a result of poor nutrition and inactivity,” said Ken Germano, president of ACE. “That’s why ACE has developed this new health and fitness curriculum to help educators teach children about the importance of being physically active and making healthy food choices through fun nutrition and fitness lessons.”

The Operation FitKids Youth Fitness Curriculum is offered as a public service of ACE’s youth outreach program Operation FitKids (OFK). OFK provides high quality educational materials and top-notch professional training to educators, fitness professionals, health professionals and concerned parents.

Created by ACE fitness expert and 2004 ACE Fitness Director of the Year Debi Pillarella, M.Ed., the curriculum is designed for third through fifth grade teachers looking to integrate health and fitness activities into the classroom setting. The seven-module curriculum teaches students how to feel good in body and mind through interactive and easily explained lessons that integrate exercise and nutrition concepts.

For more information about the youth fitness curriculum visit the ACE Web site at www.acefitness.org/ofk/youthFitness.

About ACE
The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s Authority on Fitness, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the benefits of physical activity and protecting consumers against unsafe and ineffective fitness products and instruction. As the nation’s “workout watchdog,” ACE sponsors university-based exercise science research and testing that targets fitness products and trends. ACE sets standards for fitness professionals and is the world’s largest nonprofit fitness certifying organization. For more information on ACE and its programs, call (800) 825-3636 or log onto the ACE Web site at www.acefitness.org.