New Non-Profit Breaks Barriers to Family Fitness in Central Park (press releases)

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Mothers Across America (MAAM) is calling all families to make a commitment to get physically active. On July 16th MAAM will host a Family Fitness Day in Central Park’s East Meadow with high-energy games, yoga, jump rope, and gymnastics for the whole family – topped with compelling membership promotions. Volunteers will be on hand to register 50 mothers for an eight-week MAAM running or walking program and 50 girls ages 8-18 for GoGirlGo!, a program of the Women’s Sports Foundation designed to educate girls about health risk behaviors and life lessons such as body image, bullying, diversity, smoking, drugs and stress. A September Central Park race keeps mothers and girls on track and participating together.

Through a light-hearted and family-focused afternoon, Mothers Across America founder and executive director, Charlotte Gould, hopes to convey the more serious message behind the organization – to promote fitness as a way to improve health, lessen the incidence of maternal depression and foster positive self-image for mothers and their children through goal setting and sports participation. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, mothers are the number one influence on their children. Girls with physically active moms are 18% more likely to be physically active.

Gould, experienced running coach and mother, urges mothers to take a lead in the fight against childhood obesity and educate themselves to the cold, hard facts about increased physical and emotional health risks to sedentary children:

"Once a mother sees how much exercise improves her mood and well-being, she will more readily understand the effects it can have on her child. Though we instinctively parent through modeling, we have somehow passed on the most critical responsibility of health to others – it’s time to accept that we must take on that role, and accept there are no quick fixes."

Gould adds, "This event will be a great opportunity to show how much fun exercising can be - whether dancing in the kitchen or joining a sports team. As a culture, we need to demystify exercise, respect choices and nurture active lifestyles from birth instead of argue over parenting styles or question the value of competition and team sports as we push our children to succeed in truly unhealthy ways."

About the Family Fitness Day:
Date: Saturday July 16, 2005, 11 AM – 3 PM (rain date: July 17, 2005, 11 AM- 3 PM)
Location: East Meadow, Central Park, NYC (E. 97th - E. 100th St. at 5th Ave.)

This is a free, co-ed event where boys are encouraged to participate with girls, and parents with their children. MAAM recognizes the equal importance of physical activity for boys and girls and promotes to girls in an effort to balance unequal gender participation. If a boy watches his mother participate in sports, he is more likely to support physical activity for girls and women. No reservations are necessary. All ages are welcome.

About Mothers Across America (MAAM):
Mothers Across America motivates, educates and supports mothers to optimize emotional and physical health through team sports. MAAM is committed to promoting fitness as a way to improve health, lessen the incidence of maternal depression and foster positive self image for mothers and their children through goal setting and sports participation.

MAAM has succeeded in helping mothers complete races from 5k to marathon distance and achieve personal fitness goals. Each mother has discovered a potential unknown to her in so doing and has become inspired to tackle new goals in other areas of life. MAAM supports mothers from diverse backgrounds and barriers to physical activity and is developing programs with underserved populations, depressed mothers and the medical community. MAAM is dedicated to developing an effective long term, multi-generational approach to preventative health through exercise.

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