o” =| Reshaping Teens’ Li (NAPSA)—According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, one in five teens is considered overweight—but there are things parents can do to keep their own kids out of such statistics. For one thing, families may consider a new program that helps teens look beyond just the physical aspect of their weight issues. It’s available at a co-ed boarding program situated on a 43-acre natural campusfilled with hiking trails, horseback riding and a lake with fishing, boating and kayaking. The staff includes one of the country’s leadingdietitians, world-renowned fitness instructors, highly trained experiential therapists and other counselors who work with students to teach them the tools and skills they need to take control of their life. “Our focus is not the numbers on a scale,” said Ray Travaglione, who heads the MindStream Academyin Bluffton, S.C. “Dealing with the physical aspect of being overweight is important but it cannot be the only emphasisif teens are to develop healthy, lifelong eating habits. Often, overweight teens have self-esteem and other issues to deal with. That’s why we help teens tackle their weight issues on all fronts: mind, body and spirit.” While weight issues manifest themselves physically, the program helps teens control their stress and anxiety to enable them to control their eating habits. The programsinclude: e Mind-Body-Spirit Emersion—Byincluding all aspects of the student and the underlying cause for their behavior, long-term success, sustainable weight loss and fitness will carry through their entire lives. Equine-Assisted Therapy permits teens to workdirectly with horses, allowing students to learn more about themselves, building a greater amountof self-confidence and accomplishment as they work toward their specific goals. * Organic Gardening and Nutrition Education—The grounds include a number of organic gardens, which let students better understand the process of growing food, meal planning and cooking. Outdoor Fitness—The outdoor environmentis a functionally linked play concept, providing numerous outdooractivities to get teens excited about physical movementagain. e Family Involvement— Families take a major role in helping students during a time of transition and are shown how to make better food choices, prepare more healthful meals, better understand the importance of balanced nutrition and substitute fun fitness alternatives for a sedentarylifestyle. So teens can keep up with their academics while losing weight, the school is structured so that, upon their return, students are in sync with their homeschoolclasses. Learn More For more information, visit www.mindstreamacademy.net.
