Orlando youths learn martial arts to stay fit

Online, July 6, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Youths in Orlando are receiving free Tai Chi and Qigong lessons as part of a community effort to thwart childhood obesity. Thirty-five children between the ages of 9 and 17 from the New Image Youth Center and Bridge to Independence are receiving six one-hour lessons over a six-week period through July, courtesy of the Altamonte Springs-based Martial Arts Center for Health and funded by Get Active Orlando.

Jim Taggart, one of the instructors of the Martial Arts Center for Health, and a partner with Get Active Orlando, says that due to the popularity of the movie The Karate Kid, many of these students are "energized and hungry for the ancient knowledge that true martial arts were developed for in the first place."

Taggart says martial arts is not intended for sport, fighting or violence, but rather to help an individual reach a higher level and be more equipped to help others. "The last thing you want to do is hurt someone with something you have learned," he adds.

Audrey Alexander of the Orange County Health Department, who is helping coordinate this program, says the timing of the lessons coinciding with the release of the popular movie is perfect for these kids to "begin taking an early interest in better health and strong principles to live by."

Tai Chi is designed to help the body naturally rebalance itself and Qigong involves building internal energy and the health of the major organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and spleen.

Now in its seventh year of operation, Get Active Orlando, which operates as an active-living advisory board to the City of Orlando, is made possible by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, and National Institute of Health.