Shaw’s Providing ‘Workout Wednesdays’ for Kids

Shaw’s Supermarkets and Star Market, Boston Moves for Health, and the National Dairy Council’s “Fuel Up to Play 60” program have joined forces with the city’s public schools to support kids’ health through the creation of “Workout Wednesdays,” an integrated health and fitness initiative. From Oct. 10 through the end of month, Shaw’s will host a public school class at one of its stores each Wednesday.

“Boston Moves for Health is all about inspiring lots of little changes in people’s lifestyles that add up to better health for individuals and our city as a whole,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino, developer of the ambitious program, which challenges city residents to move 10 million miles together. “Shaw’s and Fuel Up to Play 60 … understand that we all have a responsibility to do everything we can to make sure today’s youth grow up to be healthy adults.”

“Supporting health-and-wellness initiatives is important to us at Shaw’s and Star Market,” added Mike Stigers, president of West Bridgewater, Mass.-based Shaw’s, a division of Supervalu in Minneapolis.

“Fuel Up to Play 60 has helped students in more than 1,600 schools in Massachusetts implement lifelong healthy eating and physical activity habits in a way that is making a big difference,” noted Lisa Burnett, director of nutrition & school programs for Boston-based New England Dairy & Food Council. “Collaborative efforts like this one are vital for improving childhood health.”

Each Workout Wednesday will start with an outdoor physical activity led by employees of the Boston-based fitness studio Body By Brandy 4 Kidz, followed by a healthy-eater store tour run by Jennifer Shea Rawn, Shaw’s registered dietitian. During the tour, kids will receive a reusable Healthy Eaters Free Fruit Card, which can be used each time a 5- to 12-year-old child goes shopping with his/her parents at a Shaw’s store. The events will end with a session at a make-your-own yogurt parfait bar and a complimentary goodie bag packed with healthy treats from Shaw’s and Fuel Up to Play 60.

“It’s very important for kids to develop healthy eating habits now, so they can carry them into adulthood,” observed Rawn. “The Workout Wednesday program was designed to inspire the kids in our communities to try new delicious and healthy foods and engage in fun fitness activities to help instill lifelong healthy lifestyle habits.”