A dose of dirt and a fix of fun are the focus of a fitness program launched on Friday to fight childhood obesity in ACT and Queanbeyan school students.
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The ActewAGL Swing Into Life Program will engage school students in a free 90-minute activity course of climbing tyres, monkey bars and balance beams to encourage healthy living.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr officially launched the program as part of the ACT government's Healthy Weight Initiative, with a target of zero growth in the rate of ACT obesity.
Mr Barr said enjoyable exercise was necessary for young people to engage in active living.
"We need to design programs that kids actually participate in, that build a range of core skills and don't necessarily require them to be absolute athletes," the minister said. "It's about the fun element."
The program was created by fitness trainer Lee Campbell and his health and fitness organisation B.FIRM, in partnership with ActewAGL and the ACT government.
When designing the program, fun was the focus for Mr Campbell, alongside safety.
"It's making sure the kids can get out in an environment like this, feel safe, discover different things and different ways to exercise and be healthy," Mr Campbell said.
He pinpointed a lack of self-awareness and limited self-confidence as key difficulties for children maintaining an active lifestyle. According to Mr Campbell, that was why the program was important.
"If they feel like they can't do something, you enable them to have the power to do it so they can learn and get healthier along the way as well," he said.
For Campbell High School students Tahlia Mullen, 14, Ruth Begby, 14, and Stella McNeil, 15, the diversity in the activity made exercise a fun challenge.
"It's so different; we never do anything like this at school. We don't really have giant tyres lying around, so it's something new," said Stella.
"We get down and dirty," Tahlia added.
For Ruth, the health and fitness side of the course was immediately noticeable.
"The feeling afterwards is good, all the endorphins," she said. "You still improve your health and fitness but every new thing is exciting."
Mr Campbell expected at least 2,000 students to participate in the program over the next two to three months as part of school excursions. He said the program would run all year, with plans to roll out the program nationally.
