AUBURN - When Jill Jayne says jump, kids ask how high.
Jason Rearick / The Citizen
Registered dietitian, Jill Jayne, gets everyone moving and involved with her presentation on “Jumping Jacks with Jill” during the Fit Kids conference held at the Holiday Inn last month.
Registered dietitian, Jill Jayne, gets everyone moving and involved with her presentation on “Jumping Jacks with Jill” during the Fit Kids conference held at the Holiday Inn last month.
The registered dietitian from New York City is a self-described “nutrition edu-tainer” and is a virtual pop star in the world of nutrition and fitness.
Her show, “Jumping Jacks with Jill,” has been featured on TV, and Jumping Jill performs the show at venues across the nation, combining exercise with entertainment to teach healthy lifestyles to children and adults alike.
On Friday, Sept. 21, Jayne was one featured presentation at the first annual Fit Kids Conference, an all-day affair held at the Holiday Inn in Auburn.
The program was attended by about 200 adults, mostly fitness and health-care professionals from the area. In addition to Jayne's presentation, the event included a workshop given by Cornell University professor Brian Wansink, known for his 2006 book “Mindless Eating,” about the psychology surrounding healthy food choices.
“Basically, we held the conference to bring awareness to childhood obesity,” said Rebecca Crawford, a nutrition educator with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County, the organization that offered the program.
Part of the CCE's mission is to hold events in the community that help residents learn about nutrition and health. “At this particular event, we wanted people to learn to think for themselves regarding diet and lifestyle,” she added. “Hopefully, they realize that the first step in solving a problem like obesity is to change environments, change situations.”
The conference began at the hotel at 10 a.m. with Wansink's talk about how social and cultural cues affect our diets.
“People's tastes are not formed by accident,” he began, explaining that most overeat due to the influence of other people, the media and clever packaging.
The best place to start a healthy diet, he continued, is at home.
“When your child says he's hungry, make sure all his food options are healthy ones,” he said. “In my research, I've learned that being a good ‘nutritional gatekeeper' is very important,” explaining that a “gatekeeper” is the person responsible for buying food and controlling who, when and how much of it is consumed.
“Over time you can condition your kids, and yourself, to be healthier eaters.”
Meanwhile, in another room, Jayne presented “Jumping Jacks with Jill” to a group of students from Casey Park Elementary School.
“We all need to be good to our bodies ... and one way we can do that is by playing. Who here likes to play?” she asked the group, eliciting a huge roar from the young crowd.
The program was filled with Jayne's fitness theatrics, including interactive demonstrations with students. Jayne taught the group about their blood vessels, which she said was the “car” for delivering nutrients to the body. “And eating healthy foods is like driving a Ferrari!” she exclaimed.
That afternoon, Jayne presented the program to the conference attendees, gearing the discussion toward fitness education.
“With kids, try to focus on ‘fit,' not ‘fatness,'” she told the group, explaining that a positive attitude helps children develop healthy self-identities.
In addition, adults must be role models for children, she said. That can be accomplished , she added, by actively taking part in exercise and preparing healthy foods with a child.
Learn more
For more information on the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County, call 255-1183 or visit www.cce.cornell.edu
Her show, “Jumping Jacks with Jill,” has been featured on TV, and Jumping Jill performs the show at venues across the nation, combining exercise with entertainment to teach healthy lifestyles to children and adults alike.
On Friday, Sept. 21, Jayne was one featured presentation at the first annual Fit Kids Conference, an all-day affair held at the Holiday Inn in Auburn.
The program was attended by about 200 adults, mostly fitness and health-care professionals from the area. In addition to Jayne's presentation, the event included a workshop given by Cornell University professor Brian Wansink, known for his 2006 book “Mindless Eating,” about the psychology surrounding healthy food choices.
“Basically, we held the conference to bring awareness to childhood obesity,” said Rebecca Crawford, a nutrition educator with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County, the organization that offered the program.
Part of the CCE's mission is to hold events in the community that help residents learn about nutrition and health. “At this particular event, we wanted people to learn to think for themselves regarding diet and lifestyle,” she added. “Hopefully, they realize that the first step in solving a problem like obesity is to change environments, change situations.”
The conference began at the hotel at 10 a.m. with Wansink's talk about how social and cultural cues affect our diets.
“People's tastes are not formed by accident,” he began, explaining that most overeat due to the influence of other people, the media and clever packaging.
The best place to start a healthy diet, he continued, is at home.
“When your child says he's hungry, make sure all his food options are healthy ones,” he said. “In my research, I've learned that being a good ‘nutritional gatekeeper' is very important,” explaining that a “gatekeeper” is the person responsible for buying food and controlling who, when and how much of it is consumed.
“Over time you can condition your kids, and yourself, to be healthier eaters.”
Meanwhile, in another room, Jayne presented “Jumping Jacks with Jill” to a group of students from Casey Park Elementary School.
“We all need to be good to our bodies ... and one way we can do that is by playing. Who here likes to play?” she asked the group, eliciting a huge roar from the young crowd.
The program was filled with Jayne's fitness theatrics, including interactive demonstrations with students. Jayne taught the group about their blood vessels, which she said was the “car” for delivering nutrients to the body. “And eating healthy foods is like driving a Ferrari!” she exclaimed.
That afternoon, Jayne presented the program to the conference attendees, gearing the discussion toward fitness education.
“With kids, try to focus on ‘fit,' not ‘fatness,'” she told the group, explaining that a positive attitude helps children develop healthy self-identities.
In addition, adults must be role models for children, she said. That can be accomplished , she added, by actively taking part in exercise and preparing healthy foods with a child.
Learn more
For more information on the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County, call 255-1183 or visit www.cce.cornell.edu
