WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sworkit, a health and fitness company, announced the launch of their Sworkit Youth Initiative at Excel Academy, an all-girls public elementary school in Washington, D.C. The initiative is an effort to combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.
“The data on childhood obesity rates is troubling,” said Sworkit co-founder and CEO, Benjamin Young. “There’s a critical need to provide children, educators, and parents with easily accessible fitness and nutrition resources. Sworkit leadership was moved to offer our fitness technology as part of the solution. We want to ensure every teacher and coach has the tools to influence students to become more active. Our desire is to help people build life-long, multi-generational, healthy habits.”
To do this, Sworkit is providing its premium digital fitness technology to teachers and coaches of K-12th grade students across the country at no cost.
The benefits of physical activity in children directly impacts obesity rates. According to an American Journal of Preventive Medicine study from 2014, researchers analyzed obesity prevention strategies and found after-school physical activity programs could reduce obesity rates by 1.8% among children ages six to 12.
“Access to physical activity and having active role models are two significant barriers preventing youth - especially those living in low-income areas – from engaging in regular physical activity,” added Becky Johnson, Executive Director of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. “Offering Sworkit at no cost to every coach, teacher and student in kindergarten through 12th grade, helps address these two core issues and will enable more children to build healthy habits to last a lifetime.”
The documented benefits of active youth extend into the classroom as well. “Higher grades and test scores are linked to physical activity,” says Excel Academy Principal, Tenia Pritchard. “We believe greater access to more exercise options with current technology tools like Sworkit Fitness and Sworkit Kids will foster academic success for the girls at Excel Academy. We cannot thank Sworkit enough for providing our teachers with free access to this technology.”
Youth soccer and basketball coach and Sworkit co-founder Greg Coleman said, “Sworkit Kids’ online workouts have been a tremendous benefit to me as a coach because the exercises are ready to go at any time. Even during practices, I have access to guided video instruction. I also ask my team to use guided body weight exercises from the app at home when we don’t practice. They’re a great supplement to building physical skills.”
The Sworkit Youth Initiative is making Sworkit’s premium digital fitness technology available to coaches, teachers and students in the U.S. immediately. Teachers and coaches can gain free access to Sworkit by visiting sworkityouth.com.
About Sworkit
Founded in 2012, Sworkit is a premium digital health and fitness company providing workouts and personalized plans to help users get leaner, fitter and stronger. With a custom combination of strength, cardio, yoga and stretching workouts, Sworkit helps millions of monthly users work out on their own time and at their own pace.
Sworkit is ranked as a leader in app stores and was voted #1 by the University of Florida in a study of fitness apps using the standards of the American College of Sports Medicine. Through the Sworkit Youth Initiative, Sworkit provides free fitness technology for students, teachers and coaches across the globe. With the help of partners, Sworkit aims to reduce the rate of childhood obesity in half by 2026. For more information, please visit sworkityouth.com and follow @SworkitFitness on Instagram and Pinterest.
About Excel Academy
Excel Academy is an all-girls school serving students from pre-4K to eighth grade. A former charter school, Excel Academy joins DC Public Schools as the first all-girls school in the district.
