May 3 marked the beginning of a weeklong series to inspire more kids and adults in Coastal Georgia to keep their minds and bodies active.
The YMCA of Coastal Georgia’s Healthy Living Week, which kicked off with the Y’s open house and grand opening of the outdoor pools, will offer daily activities throughout the week to help residents focus on healthier lifestyles.  
The week culminates with the free Y Kids Run Day celebration Saturday at Daffin Park. New Y members can take advantage of the no-joiner’s-fee membership special, which is available until May 11. Join the Y to get started on a path toward healthy living.
During this time, YMCAs in Coastal Georgia will offer daily health-focused activities varying from family fitness classes to teaching kids how to plant fruits and vegetables, nutrition seminars to nature walks, sharing healthy recipes to fitness challenges and everything in between.
Healthy Living Week is celebrated in conjunction with the YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day. This national initiative aims to improve families’ health and well-being using games, cooking demonstrations, arts and crafts and more to motivate and teach families how to develop healthy routines at home.   
Healthy Kids Day, celebrated at nearly 1,600 Ys across the country, gets more kids moving and learning so they can keep up the habit all summer long — a critical out-of-school time for kids’ health.
Research shows that without access to out-of-school physical and learning activities, kids fall behind academically. Kids also gain weight twice as fast during summer than the school year.
“One in three U.S. children is obese. This statistic, coupled with the fact that once summer hits, children will be more idle, demonstrates why it’s important to help families develop healthy habits now,” said Joel Smoker, chief operating officer of the YMCA of Coastal Georgia. “As part of the Y’s commitment to healthy living, through YMCA’s Healthy Living Week, our goal is to improve the health and well-being of kids and inspire habits they can continue into adulthood.”
In celebration of Healthy Living Week, the Y offers the following tips to help families develop healthy habits:
• High-five the fruits and veggies — Make sure kids get at least five servings a day, the minimum number nutritionists recommend to maintain healthy childhood development.
• Foster an early and ongoing passion for books — Read to and with your kids. Help children read at every age and every stage of their development.
• Team up for athletic events — Set a family goal of great health by teaming up for community or charity events like races, walks, fun runs, bike rides, etc.
• Volunteer together — Find a cause that matters to the kids. Open their eyes to a world beyond themselves and the rich rewards that come from making a difference.
• Lead by example — Be a good role model. Kids can be influenced by seeing how hard their parents work at home or on the job and how rewarding that experience is.