Who said push-ups can?t be fun?
Garrett Peach, a second-grader at Rockburn Elementary School, was first in a mini-bootcamp?s pushup competition for children at the first Healthy Howard Day on Sunday at Centennial Park in Ellicott City.
“I play all kinds of sports,” said Garrett, 8, of Elkridge, who added that football was his favorite. Alexis Dorsey, 9, of Woodstock, keeps fit by playing soccer at school.
“Everybody did a good job,” she said.
Healthy Howard Day will be an annual event to remind residents to battle obesity by supporting healthy living, eating and exercise at home, work, school and throughout the community.
“It?s another opportunity to talk about lifestyle changes that?ll help us lead more healthy and productive lives,” County Executive Ken Ulman said.
Together with Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson and numerous community partners, officials have been striving to make the county a model public health community.
In months, Howard will be one of only two counties in the country (the other being San Francisco) moving toward universal heath care coverage, Beilenson said.
Sponsors and partners of the event included the Howard County Health Department, Howard County General Hospital and Giant Food. There were free health screenings, games for children and live musical performances.
Event organizers said they expected 1,000 to 1,500 residents to enjoy the free event. Many of them were children and teens.
The My Gym Children?s Fitness Center of Columbia is an early-learning program designed to help children from six weeks to 13 years develop physically, cognitively and emotionally.
The center offers structured, age-appropriate weekly classes that allow children to have fun with music, dance, relays, games, special rides, gymnastics and sports.
Ulman?s family has even participated in the activities, when his two daughters were younger.
“A healthy lifestyle should be part of everybody?s lives,” said Meg Rosenberg, of Columbia, who explained how she lost weight with healthy eating after her daughter was born two years ago.
“She loves carrots, cucumbers ? I don?t have to get her to eat her vegetables.”
A number of “Healthy Howard Restaurants” came to the event such as Subway, Olive Garden and Noodles & Co., all businesses offering patrons healthy alternative meals that were free of trans fat, Beilenson said.
