Junior Fit Makes an Impact on the Students of Happy Valley Elementary

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Obesity has more than doubled in children over the last several years. Percentages of obese children have increased from 5 percent to 21 percent in the past 30 years. Cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, and bone and joint problems are merely some of the short-term and long-term effects of obesity, which is a raging epidemic in today’s world.

Jerad Crawford, owner of Extreme Fit (X-Fit), recognized the need for change and for action and in September 2014 he launched Junior Fit; a program that strives to motivate kids both mentally and physically to achieve healthy lifestyles. He created Junior Fit with hopes to bring education about nutrition and exercise to the schools in a way that they haven’t been receiving it in Physical Education classes, he said. It all began at Northern Heights Elementary with only five kids attending on a regular basis.

“Junior Fit has exploded in a way we never anticipated,” Jordan Johnson, Junior Fit instructor said. The opportunity to impact these kids’ lives and teach them important and valuable lessons about health is such a rewarding experience, he said.

Since the start up in 2014, Junior Fit has spread to over seven schools within Whatcom County, including Happy Valley Elementary. “I have seen a huge change in my son since we signed him up for Junior Fit,” Rochelle Steinberg, mother of a Happy Valley student said. “Which is a good thing,” she added with a chuckle. This is one of the greatest extracurricular activities for young kids as they will learn valuable lessons all while getting their blood pumping and their heart rate rising. Junior Fit is not only designed to teach kids about the fundamentals of exercise and healthy eating, but it is also designed to teach them integrity and honesty, Johnson said. Incorporated into the daily curriculum is also a vocab of values. Each day they learn a new character trait or value that will positively encourage and uplift themselves and others, he said.

In today’s society, there is a very skewed sense of health and exercise and many people are simply uninformed, said Jon Wettack, nutritionist and Junior Fit Coach. The goal of Junior Fit is to teach kids the importance of exercise routine, nutrition balance, and the reactions of the body when exercise is enforced, Wettack said.

At Happy Valley Elementary the PE classes are 60 minutes long. Junior Fit keeps the kids moving for a whole 90 minutes. “The smaller numbers helps manage the productivity of the class and allows us to squeeze in one-on-one trainings with the kids if it’s necessary. Something that would never happen in a typical PE class,” Johnson said. An additional benefit to Junior Fit is it allows the kids to socialize with one another outside of the classroom and the school setting. “We do our best to make it as fun as possible,” Crawford said. Junior Fit coaches strive to create an environment that the elementary students feel excited to come to, he said.

Obesity and diabetes is increasing in the youth at a very high rate. With sugar being one of the top added ingredients into food, there is no shock that disease is and obesity is increasing at a steady number, Wettack said. Training kids to change their routine, to add exercise into their daily habit, to be informed and educated on food choices, and to carry away values that will enhance their lives, is the end goal for Junior Fit, Crawford said.



Crawford hopes to initiate a summer program for youths interested in staying active while school is no longer in session.