By JASON TURNER
A POTENTIALLY life-changing health program aimed at overweight children is coming to Noble Park.
The MEND program — Mind, Exercise, Nutrition . . . Do it! — is designed to help children and parents get involved in activities that encourage healthier diets and lifestyles.
The free 10-week program avoids a heavy focus on weight loss — instead, families take part in activities that aim to make exercise fun again.
Noble Park MEND program manager Sarah Fradley said it was not like physical education.
“It’s about families becoming interested in becoming active and thinking about a healthy lifestyle,” she said.
The activities are interactive, with children and parents spending the first hour together, learning about new recipes and other diet management skills.
Afterwards the children will take part in organised activities in and around the Noble Park Aquatic Centre, spending time in the pools or basketball courts.
“The kids really enjoy it,” Miss Fradley said. “They love discovering new games and making new friends.”
She said that for such a culturally diverse area as Noble Park the program, which had the backing of Deakin University, was equipped to help people of different backgrounds.
The MEND program started in England and has been proven to help children become healthier physically and mentally, with improved self-esteem.
Miss Fradley said the family-based experience was beneficial for everyone, explaining that parents said they even found themselves going off to the shops and trying the new healthy foods and recipes.
MEND previously ran a similar program at Dandenong Oasis but after consultation with families, the program has been tailored to suit busy families with one session a week.
The next program will start January 31 on Thursday evenings, and places are limited.
For more details, call Sarah Fradley on 1300 822 953 or SMS your name to 0409 745 645 for a return phone call. A parent or carer must accompany each child to every session.
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