The Little Gym Owner Takes on Issues - Practicing What She Preaches

By Carolyn S. Peterson

When trying to impart wisdom on the younger generation, or on any generation for that matter, it helps if people see you ’practicing what you preach.’ If you don’t lead by example, you lose your credibility. Dana Holloway, owner of The Little Gym in Winston-Salem and concerned parent, has gone above and beyond by setting an example not only through her chosen career and her activism on childhood health issues, but also by her own activity on a soccer team and as a mother who knows physical activity and nutrition are the best weapons we have to battle childhood obesity.

When You Know Better, You Do Better In addressing the subject of childhood obesity, Holloway sees the problem as multi-layered. “We need to recognize, as a society, that the first step in tackling obesity in children is education and awareness. Being aware that there is a problem is only the beginning. After that, we must educate parents and the community on how to implement activity and nutrition to turn this national crisis around,” stated Holloway. With her roles as mom to Zoey and Zach, and owner and instructor at The Little Gym, Holloway guides parents and their children, ages 4 months to 12 years, through the curriculum based activities, helping both groups realize that exercise can be enjoyable and a way to spend time as a family. As Holloway said, “When you know there is a better way, you can make changes so that ’the better way’ becomes a habit that follows the child throughout his or her life.” Holloway is quick to point out that, just because of her knowledge on the importance of nutrition and physical activity, doesn’t mean that she makes every decision right when in the ’mommy’ role. “All parents know that you pick your battles. My kids don’t automatically ask for fruits and vegetables, but you hope that teaching them the healthy food choices will become habit, eventually commonplace. It can be a battle to get a child to choose water over soda, but establishing those right choices early is easier than changing bad habits later on,” said Holloway.

Dedication to a Healthier Community, One Child at a Time Holloway and her husband, Chris, are natives of Winston- Salem and have deep ties to the community. “My husband is a physical education teacher at Meadowlark Elementary and sees the struggles some children have with their weight. Between his job and mine, we have a passion to reach families, one child and one family at a time. You have to begin somewhere,” commented Holloway.

The Little Gym- Ties to the Community That beginning came in 2001 when The Little Gym opened its doors and Holloway, years later, began attending the parent-child classes with her daughter, Zoey. Holloway became an employee, eventually becoming the owner in August 2007. The Little Gym and Holloway believe in the mission statement, ’Motor skill development made fun builds confidence that leads to a lifetime of success.’ “Classes are divided into 3 groups, with the parent-child program, from children 4 months to 3 years, our Pre-K program with children 3-5 years old, and then our grade school program with 6-12 year olds. We run on semesters, with a 20 week fall semester, 20 week winter/spring semester and a 10 week summer semester. The Little Gym also offers summer camps,” stated Holloway. In order to maintain the child-instructor ratio, most classes have 6-7 children per instructor. The classes focus on establishing motor skills, like jumping and running, as well as developing social skills, through team work and honing cognitive skills. As children age into another program, sports skills, karate and dance are all options at The Little Gym. Special activities at The Little Gym include birthday parties ($235/non members and $215/members) offering 1 hour of curriculum based gym time and then cake, snacks, drinks and goody bags. Each party is individualized for the child, so their special day is indeed special. Parents’ Survival Nights are quite popular with parents getting 3 _½ hours to themselves, while their children enjoy a meal, craft time and gym activities.

The Little Gym Taking on a BIG Issue As a parent and the owner/instructor of The Little Gym, Holloway has seen the national crisis of childhood obesity on a personal level. “In a recent survey of BMI (body mass index) in the WS/FC school system, 37%-45% of first, fourth, seventh, and ninth graders were considered either overweight or obese. During the summer vacation, children spend a lot of time snacking and sitting in front of the TV or computer, lacking structure, and a study found that 5 and 6 year olds gain more weight over the summer than during a given school year. But establishing good eating habits and activity levels is the responsibility of not only parents, but caretakers, like day cares and schools. Everyone needs to be on the same page to change the tide of childhood obesity,” stated Holloway.