U.S. teens and adults are more likely to consume soda and fried foods, and exercise less than their global teen/adult. Chronic diseases associated with obesity such as diabetes are now seen in young people.

The Northfield Community School’s Healthy School Steering Committee (HSSC) is committed to increasing overall health and fitness awareness as well as the development of healthy lifestyles among our community families. To meet these goals, on January 17, 2008, Northfield’s HSSC has launched its Healthy Family Makeover Contest and Healthy Family Scrapbook Contest and will soon launch an interactive website and forum in order to engage our community to take proactive steps towards a healthy lifestyle early on in life.

Northfield, our fitness and health partners, Mainland Fitness and AtlantiCare, and our business partner Atlantic City Outlets, The Walk, all believe that the American family must change NOW and TOGETHER to live well and prosper. 

Healthy Family Makeover Contest  
Mainland Fitness’s top trainers have developed an all-inclusive, individualized, 12-week family fitness program for our five lucky family participants (valued at $32,000) that includes access to all fitness classes, ranging from aerobics to yoga to spin, as well as safe, circuit training, cardiovascular training and personal training.  AtlantiCare is giving workshops on lifestyle modification, stress management, communication and nutrition.  Families will complete AtlantiCare’s Healthy Family Scrapbook.  Local area chefs from Bally’s Park Place, Catering by Francine, The Outback Steakhouse and ACCC Academy of Culinary Arts are providing healthy cooking classes and additional nutritional advice.  Mainland Fitness reviewed all applicants, interviewed eight semi-finalists and we announced 5 final families to participate in the Healthy Family Makeover Contest on 1/17/08.  The five chose Northfield families are the Devines, McClains, O'Neils, Rabels and Smilowskis

Healthy Family Scrapbook Contest  
This is a fun and flexible “play at home version” of our Healthy Family Makeover.  All participating families (including our Healthy Makeover Families) will receive a Scrapbook that was developed by AtlantiCare, which contains Physical Fitness, Nutrition, and Mental Health information and tools such as suggested physical fitness activities and tracking sheets for all physical activities, suggested food intake, fruit and vegetable intake, meal plans, and other nutritional information. Families will receive information on reducing screen time and great alternative activities, as well as heart healthy meal planning, reflection logs, shopping list tracking tools and more.  Most importantly, by participating, all families will complete a keep-sake scrapbook TOGETHER that records their journey toward a Healthy Lifestyle!