The YMCAs in the District of Columbia are proud to announce the beginning of the YMCA PhD Program. PhD stands for Physical, Healthy, and Driven and is the physical fitness component of the after-care program. This program is being generously funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and will serve as the pilot program that will eventually be implemented throughout the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington association.

The PhD program began on February 2nd in the four DC branches, and will run until the end of May. During the after-care program, all of the school-age children will participate in physical fitness activities three times a week (check with your branch for which days of the week). These activities might include hula hooping, Red Light Green Light games, jumping jacks, or a game the kids make up together. The idea behind the program is getting kids to enjoy physical activities and begin to incorporate it into their every day lifestyle.

The program is also educational. Every day, we have Fun Facts, which might include information like "the human heart is a muscle that has four chambers" or "more than half the weight of your body is water." We will cover topics like nutrition, body composition, and alcohol and drug awareness so that children know all of the things they need to do to be healthy.

The program has a assessment component, which measures blood pressure, bicep strength, flexibility, and body fat. See the story below for more information. We will measure the children two times during the course of the sixteen weeks to determine their progress. Hopefully, you will also see a difference in your child’s energy, esteem, exercise patterns, and snacking habits.

We believe the YMCA PhD Program will be a big success—please join us in making our kids physical, healthy & driven!

Mix one pound of ground turkey (not turkey breast) with garlic powder, minced onions, Italian seasoning and/or basil to taste. Form patties with your hands, but not too tight. Grill on charcoal or gas grill until fully cooked. Do not press down on the burgers while they are cooking. This will remove the small amount of fat that holds the burger together.

Slice one bagel in half for each person. Place the bagel halves with cut side up on a cookie sheet. Top with tomato sauce or salsa and shredded cheddar, mozzarella or other cheese. Bake in 350° oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. To make this snack or meal less fattening, substitute the cheese with low or no fat cheese.

Cut up fresh or canned fruit into small bite-size pieces. Make one or two packages of your favorite gelatin according to the directions. When the gelatin is almost cooked and somewhat firm, add the fruit. Place gelatin and fruit mixture in the refrigerator until ready. top with non-dairy low fat topping.

Cut up fresh celery, onions, carrots, red peppers or similar vegetables and mix with your choice of cooked pasta and fat free or low fat Italian dressing.

Blend 1 cup of cranberry juice cocktail and ½ cup of lemonade with ice.

Blend 1 ½ cup raspberry/cranberry drink and ¾ cup lemonade with ice.

(these drinks can also be prepared with just crushed ice.)

Place frozen or fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or any other fruit on a piece of sponge cake and top with non-dairy low fat topping. Try several types of fruit at the same time.

1) We’ll be back after these messages – During commercial breaks, have everyone do jumping jacks, push-ups or sit-ups. See who can do the most or how many family members can reach a certain number.

2) What’s goin’ down – Stand a 1 ½ - 2 feet in front of a bare wall. Bend backwards and slowly walk down the wall with your hands. See who can go the farthest.

3) Dance the night away – Have a dance-a-thon with your family or just dance with your kids for a half an hour twice a week. You might have to listen to some tunes you don’t like, but dancing burns off a lot of calories!