O.C. School Pounds Away at Fitness

Every morning, Stephanie Theroux, 16, gets in a 40-minute workout. But not at home or a private gym. Her exercise sessions are part of a new class offered at Tesoro High School aimed at helping students shed a few pounds, build muscle and learn about diet and nutrition.

“I wanted to get in shape and lose a little bit of weight,” said Theroux, a nearly 5-foot-8 junior who has lost 10 pounds since she began the class in the fall. She now weighs about 180.

The “Improving Your Body Composition” class at the Rancho Santa Margarita school is among countless efforts by schools across the nation to fight childhood obesity.

According to the state Department of Education, nearly one-third of California youths are considered overweight, and nearly three-fourths are considered unfit. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that childhood obesity can shorten life expectancy.

“There’s no question about it -- the number of obese children has gone up dramatically in the last 20 years,” said Dr. Dan Cooper, a professor of pediatrics at UC Irvine and a member of the Childhood Obesity Task Force formed by state Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell.

“It’s a very, very serious problem. There are so many diseases that are tied to obesity,” including diabetes, hypertension, sleep disorders and cardiovascular, liver and lung problems, Cooper said.

“For kids, there’s also a huge psychosocial component. Children who are very obese tend to be depressed and to have a very low ... quality of life,” added Cooper, who has students from the class at his UCI lab for health screening.

Schools are attacking obesity on various fronts, from banning soda to offering nontraditional gym options such as yoga and rock climbing.

O’Connell said the Tesoro program could be a model for schools around the state. “An integrated approach to good nutrition and good health is really the solution. Habits that students develop while in school are carried over the rest of their lives.”

The class at Tesoro goes beyond the typical gym class routine of running a mile, playing a team sport, or doing sit-ups or push-ups.

Teacher John Gipe combines cardiovascular and muscle-building workouts with classroom instruction by a dietitian and a physical trainer, along with occasional guest speakers, such as a recent presentation by a kickboxing instructor.

“We target individuals who need to make a change in their lifestyle,” Gipe said. “This is a lifestyle -- you can find something fun to do. I don’t care what it is, if it is running, swimming, jogging, rollerblading, mountain biking, whatever you find.... When you’re in shape, you feel better.”

At Cooper’s lab, students learn about the body-mass index. They also learn how to use a heart monitor and about the calories in fast food.

Diet is “obviously the other major component of this whole thing. If we can’t get them to change their diet, we’re somewhat just spinning our wheels,” Gipe said. He instructs students: “Eighty percent of the time, eat real well, and the other 20%, don’t go crazy, but you can have that” double cheeseburger.

The class, along with similar efforts at high schools in Santa Ana and Irvine, is funded by a $20,000 grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

At Irvine, the program is run as an independent study class, where students sign up, check out exercise equipment to use during their own time, and are periodically evaluated, said Dr. Michael Weiss, a pediatrician who provides physicals for the students.

“Typical P.E. classes are based upon standardized goals -- throw a ball this far, hit a ball this hard, jump this far. They’re not based upon a lifelong learning of fitness and nutrition,” he said. “These classes are based on teaching kids tools they can use for the rest of their lives.”

Although the classes are aimed at overweight students, others, including athletes who want an early morning workout, have also signed up. In the fall, the first time the class was offered at Tesoro, 25 students signed up. By the spring semester, word of mouth brought that to 60 students split into two classes. One group attends class daily for an hour, and a second group takes the class twice a week for about two hours per session.

Sophomore Dani Glidden, 16, plays soccer much of the year. But she knew she would have some time off from her club team during the spring, so she signed up for the class.

“I want to stay in shape,” she said.

On Thursday, before many of their classmates had started their school day, Glidden, Theroux and about two dozen other students alternately jumped rope, balanced on a fitness ball, stretched and did crunches.

Theroux said the class has helped her reduce her fast-food intake from weekly to monthly, and has prompted her to work out with a fitness ball two or three times a week at home. She hopes to take the class again in the fall.

“I’m losing weight and I’m feeling better about myself,” she said.