AUSTIN, TX - It's the medical condition affecting two-thirds of all American adults, that's now moving to children. The fight against obesity has grown to a national scale, and here in Austin, some places are offering solutions of their own.
It's not the typical summer vacation, but Monday through Friday you'll find 15 year old Hayden Lydick at Body Business in West Austin.
"I just want to be fit and just look myself in the mirror and say, 'Wow I actually enjoy this body that I'm in," smiled Lydick.
Now the gym's giving Lydick and other teens their chance with a free summer pass to get off the couch and get to work.
"This is a great opportunity for them to learn a little bit about fitness and to find out what makes you tick," said program director Carrie Roszell. "You might not be able to get a six pack, you might not be able to look like that model in the magazine, I just want you to maintain a healthy lifestyle that you can keep throughout your entire life."
A scary statistic makes fitness even more important for today's teens and kids. Some health experts say this could be the first generation ever that doesn't outlive their parents.
"It's really the number one epidemic facing our kids right now," said Dr. Stephen Pont with Dell Children's Medical Center.
Pont directs the childhood obesity program the hospital, working with kids and their parents on not changing a diet, but a mindset. Their mission isn't falling on deaf ears. Just last week Disney announced unhealthy ads won't air during their programming.
"We really say the norm in America is everyone to be challenged by their weight eventually so making these changes for a child who's a healthy weight now is really preventing them from having challenges later," said Pont.
Challenges teens such as Hayden hope they never have to face.
For more information about the free summer pass from Body Business for teens, click here.
