A new year also means a new look on life for a lot of people, as they begin to think of ways to have a healthier lifestyle.
There are many ways to approach a healthier way of life from the food we eat to the types of activities we choose to do in our free time.
For those families looking to develop healthy habits for their children, that is where KidStrong comes in.
“Our mission is to help kids win at life,” said Chloe Retton, head coach at the KidStrong Southside location. “It’s a program that focuses on a child’s brain, physical and character develop. “We want to prepare kids to succeed not just here at KidStrong but in life outside and beyond.”
KidStrong is a fitness center that puts the focus into not only developing active and healthy children physically and mentally. They have a location coming to St. Johns in Spring 2023.
“Each month we have a different character trait that we work on, as well as a different physical milestone,” Retton said. “The curriculum changes each month and kind of builds upon the previous.”
One of the ways they go about preparing them for the world is by having a public speaking portion of the class, where the children are asked to stand up and talk to the rest of the class.
“That’s been a huge thing to see, because at first some kids are nervous to even stand up in front of everybody,” Retton said. “We push them out of their comfort zone but are there the whole way to help them through it, and by the end of the month they are standing up and speaking in front of a group, which I know at that age, I wouldn’t have been doing that,” Retton said.
Although the primary focus is the children in the class, it is not lost that the support of family plays an important role, so family members are involved in segments of the class as well.
“We have an app that parents can also use to keep track of everything that their kids are doing,” Retton said.
There are also certain challenges that are presented to the children each month giving them an opportunity to earn points and recognition.
During the month of December, the challenge topic was giving back and those in the classes were asked to donate items either to KidStrong locations or other ways around the area.
“We’re trying to build a community,” Retton said.
There are a variety of classes offered depending on a child’s age, with classes involving children 3 years old and younger also having a parent on the floor taking part side-by-side with their child during the activities.
“It’s incredible to see the bonding that takes place,” Retton said.
There is no designated age to start program, as the only requirement is that the child has mastered walking.
The oldest age class offered is for children 9 to 11 years old, which consists of a more advanced curriculum both in the type of thought-provoking questions and the workouts used.
According to Retton, consistency is everything whether it is an adult or a child, and that is what KidStrong strives to achieve with its program.
“If you and I don’t go to the gym consistently, we’re not going to hit our goals and improve like we want to or see those results we want,” Retton said. “The kids that come in once or twice a weekly regularly can really start to see the improvement, and it just makes me want to cry sometimes knowing where they’ve come in even a short amount of time.”
The KidStrong location in St. Johns is currently being built. It will be located at 1385 St. Johns Parkway Suites 102 to 104.
