WEST SENECA, N.Y. -- For kids Zumba instructor at Southtowns Family YMCA, Nemisis Negron, what started out as a personal fitness journey after a recent pregnancy has quickly turned into a labor of love.
"After I had my second child, I needed to lose a lot of weight," Negron said. "So I started going to Zumba classes and that gave me the inspiration that I needed."
She quickly turned that inspiration into a certification and became licensed to teach Zumba earlier this year.
"With Zumba kids it makes it super easy because we don't know that we're working out," said Negron, "The kids didn't know that they were doing lunges and squats and that they were doing all those different things. They didn't know they were doing that because they were having fun."
The YMCA Buffalo-Niagara is highlighting the year-round course in honor of Childhood Obesity Awareness month.
A new study from the "State of Obesity" says that obesity rates among kids in New York State have gone down from about 17 percent to roughly 14.5 percent in the last eight years.
It's a vast improvement, but the Health & Wellness Director at the Southtowns location, Shelly Cavalier, says New York can do even better.
"We want to make of childhood obesity and the risks and so by putting in the Zumba kids class we get them moving and we get them into those healthy habits," said Cavalier.
It's why Cavalier developed the kids Zumba and kids yoga programs at the Southtowns branch, to offer kids alternative ways to stay in shape.
They encourage anyone who is interested in signing up to visit their website or come in to one of their branches.
However, whether or not you actually make it to a class, Negron says introducing your kids to a healthy lifestyle can be done from the comfort of your own home.
"We're all a child inside and it's just figuring out how to get that out. Just turn on the radio, learn some new music moves," said Negron.