ROCKINGHAM — In a day and age when our society is extremely health conscious and centered on personal wellness, the focus of children’s wellbeing may be the most important. And for Richmond County native Allen Adeimy, it all starts with introducing youngsters to a healthy lifestyle.
Adeimy, who grew up in Hamlet, is a physical education teacher and athletic director at Ellerbe Middle School. After earning his American College of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer certification last year, he opened Allen Adeimy Fitness in January, 2017, as a way to encourage kids of all ages to engage in fun and healthy activities. Incorporating the slogan “fitness through fun,” Adeimy established a successful program, which takes place at Bold Moves Dance Company in downtown Rockingham. Through an assortment of physical fitness activities, Adeimy’s goal is to reach out to kids who are interested in staying active, but are unsure how to do so.
Though Richmond County has many youth sports leagues and organizations, Adeimy realized there weren’t any programs focused on teaching kids what healthy living is.
“I love working with kids,” Adeimy said while referencing his experience as an educator. “This type of (class) is not available outside an elementary physical education class. Kids can really benefit from a more general games and activity-focused class.”
Currently working on his doctorate degree in kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Adeimy brings a wealth of knowledge to his program. There are two groups, one for middle and high school students, the other for students grades two through five. They meet weekly for one hour, and classes run on a monthly basis.
During the one-hour class, Adeimy plans roughly 10 activities for his students to complete. He rotates activities every five to seven minutes, with the philosophy that the more active participants are, and the more activities they can do in an hour, the less focused they will be on realizing that they’re actually working hard. Adeimy wants his class members to have fun.
“I want the kids to have fun,” Adeimy said. “A lot of the things we do in class are more for fun, so students don’t have to be great at them get exercise. If activities are fun, people tend to do them more frequently.”
Some of the activities that students may complete during a session include, but are not limited to: children’s yoga and pilates, body weight training, cardiovascular training, plyometrics, agility and obstacle course work, kettle bell and dumbbell exercises, as well as small-sided games like dodgeball and four square.
While a variety of physical fitness activities are a part of Adeimy’s regimen, he does circulate popular games that pique students’ interests. There are games and activities for each month that are specific to a certain type of workout. Prizes, such as basketballs, frisbees, or jump ropes, were given out with the idea that it will encourage young people to continue staying active at home.
“I want the kids to be active,” Adeimy said. “I want to give them a good workout within an hour. I want to give them the opportunity to do something different. All of the activities we do, can be replicated at home. I hope that they choose to do that activity at home on their own to remain active.”
Aside from each session being an hour of fun physical activity, Adeimy checks in with his students about their schoolwork, and challenges them to want to better themselves as young individuals.
The last class of every month is “bring a friend” night, which allows more local kids to experience the fitness program in hopes of joining future classes.
For information concerning fall classes, which will run September through December, Adeimy can be reached at (252) 315-4374. You can also visit his Facebook page at Adeimy Athletics and Fitness. Adeimy also does private lessons with individuals in a variety of sports, and more information can be found by contacting him.
