Alcorn State University News July 2014 Coach Lewis' fitness camp teaches healthy living For the past few weeks, Alcorn State's Administrative Assistant and Research Coordinator Kimberly Buie's two children, RaKeem, 8, and Kennedy, 7, have learned the importance of being in great physical shape and becoming more sociable while attending Alcorn's summer fitness camp. "The summer camp is awesome," said Buie. "They look forward to attending the camp each day. I have noticed their willingness to eat healthier and do more exercises than before. The camp has also provided them with social skills by allowing them to meet students from other counties." Buie's children are two of about 115 kids who have been attending Coach Garry Lewis' summer fitness camp that is held in the Davey L. Whitney HPER Complex on Alcorn's main campus. The camp started on June 9 and will end on August 1. The camp targets children between ages 7-14 and focuses on reducing childhood obesity. Participants attend the camp from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, to engage in various activities such as jogging, walking and playing sports. Classroom actives that teach the kids the importance of eating healthy and staying away from tobacco are also implemented. Coach Lewis believes that the camp will help those kids who come from families that can't provide the proper dietary requirements for a healthy lifestyle. "Fitness is needed in the African-American and Hispanic cultures. There are situations where socioeconomic factors keep parents from getting the right foods for them and their children to eat, causing them not to eat the proper foods to be healthy. We need this fitness and nutrition component to make everyone aware of eating healthy and being a part of a fitness program that will help them." Lewis gives great advice to those who have the mindset to lead a healthier lifestyle by starting a workout regimen. "Take it one day at a time. It is a steady process that will get you to where you want to be physically. Everyone has a different body type, so you have to be realistic about your body's structure and your goals. Gaining progress from your workouts takes months, so you shouldn't think that you will see results after about two weeks of exercising." For more information on this program and others provided through a grant sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, contact Dr. Garry Lewis at (601) 877.6503. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2014meeting-form.html for the October 26-28, 2014 HBCU Library Alliance 6th Membership Meeting in Atlanta GA!