3/26/2009

Students Lead Health Council
By Stacey Wang, San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Chair of the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and personal trainer to the stars Jake Steinfeld talks to middle-school Health and Fitness Ambassadors at the Baldwin Park Medical Center on March 20. Below, Steinfeld signs autographs for students. (Photos by Leo Jarzomb / Staff)

Dancing in front of more than 130 students in a medical center was not something two Baldwin Park girls thought they would have the confidence to do. But after Kathia Guardarrama, 13, and Mileena Acosta, 12, listened to presentations by several physicians and a fitness guru, that all changed.

As two of California's newest fitness ambassadors, the Jones Middle School students mustered up the courage to lead a room full of physicians, teachers and students with a few disco moves. Their newfound confidence emerged at their appointment as ambassadors for California Governor's Council on Fitness and Sports at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center Sports on March 20, after learning about healthy eating, fitness and self-esteem.

"It encouraged me more and made me more confident," seventh-grader Acosta said about the speeches and her groovy dance. She and Guardarrama were asked to show off dance skills to demonstrate a way to stay fit. The pair were among 135 students. The event encouraged students to promote fitness and health at their schools and homes, as well as their aspirations to become doctors.

"As I'm learning more, it makes me more interested in it, and that's the career I want to learn," eighth-grader Guardarrama said. "I feel glad they do things like this to help us to be doctors, eat healthier, get into shape, and go to college."

"It's an upward spiral to see these kinds of kids who are already passionate to get them excited too - that could be the missing ingredient that this country needs," Steinfeld said.

Steinfeld shared his personal experience as an adolescent, illustrating that he was an unconfident "fat kid with a really bad stutter." Steinfeld, also the founder of "Body by Jake," explained how he gained self-esteem as a body builder and became successful by following his dream. "If you have a dream, don't ever quit on that dream. Don't ever quit on a passion that you have because it's what you're made of. And if you love what you're doing, you will succeed," he encouraged during his speech.

Along with Steinfeld's speech, students were shown the gruesome realities of an unhealthy lifestyle - such as the effects of diabetes - and the positive correlation between fitness and doing well in school.

"During my career as a family physician, I've really seen first hand the effect that physical activity has not only on your health but also your success in life," Dr. Robert Sallis, Kaiser Permanente family physician, said during his presentation.

Governor's Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has promoted physical activity for Californians since 2005. March 20 marked appointment of the council's first seventh- and eighth-grade group of ambassadors to help battle obesity.

"Today, we're adding a new tactic in getting middle schools to promote," Governor's Council Executive Director Kenny Rogers said at the event. "We're hopefully sparking a revolution."