Power by the Hour

Power by the Hour was originally named that because it is taking one simple hour out of our day to exercise and eat right, knowing that we can’t change our habits quickly, and so if we empower you to make healthier lifestyle choices hour by hour, is at least a step in the right direction.

Allina Health has identified childhood obesity as a public health issue in our community. So it's an opportunity for us to interact and engage with community members, schools, churches, community organizations, to help offer this type of program to help them battle childhood obesity.

Power by the Hour does a great job of giving hands-on activities for kids to learn about nutritious healthy snacks, to learn what's important for their body, to learn to get their heart pumping, and the importance of that. So, they give them fun ways to be active and make good choices.

What they're learning right now is going to carry with them and I think the more this message gets out there in different ways, they're going to connect these dots, especially as they get older and see the importance of healthiness at school, at home, wherever they might be.

Children are programmed to run and play, to have fun. So you put a group of children together and they just naturally gravitate toward activity and wanting to put on a pedometer, and check their steps and challenge each other.

Power by the Hour can fit into any classroom or home environment. It's really about having kids do fun hands-on activities. There are charts on the wall where kids can learn to count their steps, how much sugar there is in pop, which is startling for kids. It's a fun factor for them. And activities that have hands-on visuals really turn out to be fun for kids.

Parents know the obesity rates are high. They know it's a challenge to get the kids off the electronics and get them moving more. To have a program like this that shows kids healthy choices, how to Increase fruit and vegetable consumption, drinking more water over the sugar-sweetened beverages, and getting out and exercising is greatly important.

The most rewarding part of this program is watching the kids eyes light up when they get to be active, and learn more about food and that what they put in their bodies affects how they feel all day long.

Frankly, we were very surprised at how well the kids initially did respond and continue to respond. I think it's a combination of practical activities and the energy through physical activity, the classroom, the nutrition, and suddenly the light bulb goes on, and they realize – wow, I didn't realize there was that much sugar in pop.