A Coquitlam dad is setting an example of fitness for his family and Fitness Town, a leading fitness equipment provider in Western Canada, is rewarding him for it.
Fitness Town provided Stan Karras and his family, wife, Jodie, and daughters, Georgia and Sophia, with $5,000 worth of state of the art fitness equipment. They also get the support of a personal trainer after they won Fitness Town's 21 Day Family Fitness Challenge in December.
The company is challenging families to get fit and have fun in just 21 days through a program that aims to educate parents and kids on the importance of healthy living. At a time when childhood obesity in North America is a growing concern, Fitness Town is working with guest supporter, TV personality and fitness guru, Tommy Europe, to raise awareness of the associated dangers. Open to all sizes, ages and fitness levels, the Family Fitness Challenge will provide families and couples on the go with essential fitness and nutritional guidance and tools to ensure they stay motivated, happy and healthy during their busy lives.
Following the recent success of its 90 Day Challenge that saw 850 participants raise $17,500 for six local charities, the non-profit Family Fitness Challenge will also give a part of its proceeds to a number of different charities in the local Metro Vancouver community.
"Research shows children born in the year 2000 or later are not expected to outlive their parents," said James Newman, CEO, Fitness Town. "In fact, it also suggests that a poor diet in kids is more dangerous than alcohol, drugs, and tobacco combined. As a developed and educated nation with resources aplenty, we simply should not stand by and let this happen. We have to take action now but it has to be the right approach to effectively work."
Karras, 43, was active as a young man and started training for a triathlon until he was hit and dragged by a car. He stopped training after the accident, suffered chronic pain from a lower back injury and took years to recover. Doctors also found a tumour which required immediate surgery.
The ongoing health issues sidelined Karras for years until a home renovation had him thinking seriously about getting back into fitness. While removing outdated exercise equipment to install a bar, it suddenly hit him that he wasn't sending a good message to his wife and kids.
He started being more aware of has family's unhealthy lifestyle and hours spent in front of the TV or video games and decided to take action. He signed his family up for Fitness Town's 21 Day Family Fitness challenge, started cooking, which he had never done before, and began writing a blog about his recipes and fitness efforts.
The Family Fitness Challenge has been designed to be accessible, affordable, easy-to-use and, most importantly, fun. Fitness Town wants the initiative to be a catalyst for families to move away from TV and video games and return to old fashioned values where exercise was through play and outdoor activities. Fitness Town is also keen to point out that the challenge very much welcomes couples, believing that family begins at two.
"We want to take action in a positive way and help educate kids and families on the small steps they can take to stay active and fit," added James. "We want people to realize that staying healthy doesn't have to be a chore - it should be fun, uplifting and make us feel better about ourselves. It's a chance to forget about everything else that may be worrying us and remember when active living was a fun and social way of life."
Couples and families wanting to sign-up to the Family Fitness Challenge - which runs from the first day of every month - can do so by visiting their nearest Fitness Town store. For just $30, each participant will receive a registration kit to get started including a water bottle, exercise toy and comprehensive handbook that will gently guide participants through work-outs, fitness and nutritional tips, recipes and lots more. Tailored packages will be available for kids including incentives to keep them interested and rewarded for their efforts.
Fitness Town is also offering families regular check-ins in-store to ensure they get the right level of support, encouragement and advice throughout the month.
For more information on the Family Fitness Challenge, visit: www.fitnesstown.ca
To read Karras' story, visit: http://www.fitfortiesfather.blogspot.com/
