These 9-year-old fraternal twin sisters have been classified with a body mass index in the 95th percentile for years, despite what they believe are fairly active lives. “We feel we can gain a lot of knowledge regarding nutrition and exercise in order to improve our way of living,” says mom Dana. “I want us to enjoy a long life together. I know my weight is an issue, too.”

“I feel my children will realize the importance of how eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis will have a positive impact on their lives through this makeover,” says Dana.

“We’ll probably struggle the most with the nutrition portion of the makeover,” says Dana. “The girls enjoy playing outside, dancing and riding bikes, so getting them exercising won’t be the hard part.”

“We are really excited about this makeover,” says Dana. “I am looking to change some of the habits we have for eating, to become a more active family, and to get in better shape.”

Update: Nutrition Knowledge

Licensed nutrition coach Christine Whiteacre will be teaching Daijah and Mikayla how to stabilize their blood sugar by eating balanced meals throughout the day. They will learn how to eat correctly at school, as well as how to make the right choices at home. “Since they enjoy meal planning, I will give them guidance on how to put a healthy, balanced meal together for the family,” says Whiteacre. The girls both have access to the Venice Nutrition Atlanta online program, which allows them to enter foods that they are going to eat for that particular meal and then make sure that the portion is correct before eating it. The key is to eat a little bit of protein, carbohydrate and fat in each meal. “This education will make it easier for them to make good choices…not only now, but for the rest of their lives,” notes Whiteacre.

The girls say the hardest part of their nutritional plan is not being able to eat what they want. Mikayla misses pizza most, and Daijah misses her favorite fried foods. They’ve adjusted most easily to eating more fruit and not drinking sodas, says mom Dana. The girls are excited about their success so far; their clothes fit looser than usual.

Update: Making Fitness Routine

Working out with Fit Kids Training Co. means Daijah and Mikayla have been focusing on getting outdoors, having a great time, and doing activities they actually enjoy. “To keep the exercise component, we warm up with walk/jogs and then keep our bodies moving during the sessions,” says owner JD Clockadale. “I let them pick the activity or sport they would like to do and structure the sessions around that.” Getting the girls involved in the planning process keeps them motivated and increases the fun factor. “It also lets them know that this is about what is important to them,” says Clockadale.

The family’s favorite thing about exercising is that it makes them feel good, and they don’t get tired as easily as they used to. “The girls definitely don’t like sweating though,” says mom Dana. They walk or run together as a family in the evenings, and on the weekends they ride bikes. “We also play a lot of games at school, such as soccer and kickball,” say the twins. Thanks to their hard work, each girl has lost more than five pounds and even more inches. “Exercising regularly gives us more energy and makes us have a better attitude about staying healthy,” says Dana.

Get Fit Partners:

Our Mission at The Fit Kids Training Company (www.fitkidstrainingcompany.com), LLC is to help overweight and inactive children, as well as children facing emotional and physical barriers to exercise, make positive, healthy lifestyle changes by building their motivation and confidence, self-esteem, and overall health.

Our Commit To FitTM programs are designed to gradually introduce the concepts of emotional well-being, fitness, and nutrition as the key to developing happy, healthy children. We utilize constructive tools such as motivational training sessions, positive learning supplements, one-on-one mentorship, and long-term guidance for both parents and children in the areas of emotional well-being, fitness, and nutrition.

The Fit Kids Training Company, LLC became a Get Fit Partner so that could accomplish three things. “One is that we can help a specific child achieve personal well-being and a healthy, active lifestyle change through family support, positive reinforcement, building motivation, confidence, and self-esteem and education,” says Fit Kids Owner JD Clockadale.

“Our second goal is to work with Atlanta Parent Magazine to help as many families and children make positive, long-term healthy lifestyle changes and turn the tide of obesity and inactivity. The Fit Kids Training Company, LLC hopes to reach 200 families within the next year through its Commit To FitTM Program,” he says.

“Our third goal is to change the way society approaches and thinks about how they can help overweight and inactive children. That is, we must make our primary focus building our children up emotionally and gradually introduce daily activity and nutrition,” says Clockadale.

The Fit Kids Training Company wants both the children and parents to understand that this is a gradual lifestyle change, and not a short-term fix.

Clockadale says there are three key areas for helping children attain this long-term, healthy and active lifestyle change:

• Building the emotional health and well-being of our children
• Helping children begin a fitness program designed specifically for their needs and abilities, and motivating them through positive reinforcement
• Designing a nutrition program that focuses on educating both parents and children about making healthy choices rather than dietary restrictions