My GYM Children's Fitness Center of Manhattan, New York City And Zumba Are Starting A National Movement To Fight Childhood Obesity In September

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK (August 19, 2016) - September marks National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and My Gym Manhattan is joining forces with Zumba to help fight the epidemic with activations in more than 100 My Gym locations across North America. The two companies are on a mission to empower children and families to dance away disease, be active, and live happy, healthy lives by providing free fitness activities including Zumba® Kids/Kids Jr. classes. The partnership comes at a significant time when the U.S. obesity epidemic continues to worsen with one in three American kids and teens overweight or obese, according to the American Heart Association.

"Childhood Obesity Awareness Month is a time when the issue of children's fitness and health takes center stage," said Cory Bertisch, CEO of My Gym Enterprises. "We are proud to serve the My Gym communities with a comprehensive fitness curriculum designed to introduce children to a healthy lifestyle while developing positive social skills. We are thrilled to welcome both our member families and all newcomers to this event spotlighting the nationally-coordinated colorful and exciting Zumba Kids and Zumba Kids Jr. demonstrations. Come one, come all!" 

Set for Saturday September 10, 2016, from 10:30 am - 1:30 pm local time, The My Gym Family Fit & Fun Party at all My Gym Manhattan locations, located at 250 East 60^th, 1608 1^st Avenue and 22 West 66^th Street, will feature a specially-designed and fun-filled day of fitness for kids of all ages, including award-winning My Gym fitness programs and Zumba Kids/Kids Jr. fitness classes.

"This partnership with My Gym supports our continued commitment in helping spread awareness about the importance of fighting childhood obesity," said Alberto Perlman, CEO of Zumba. "Our goal is to educate kids and their families while encouraging a healthy lifestyle that incorporates fitness as an enjoyable part of their lives. Zumba not only teaches kids choreography but also instills teamwork, confidence, self-esteem, memory, creativity, coordination and cultural awareness."

An eagerly-anticipated highlight of the Family Fit & Fun Party day will be free Zumba Kids/Kids Jr. classes scheduled to kick off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time/11:00 AM Mountain Time/12:00 PM Central Time/and 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Across all My Gym participating locations, thousands of kids and families will dance together in unison to the Zumba beat, while spreading the message that exercise can be fun and effective.

The My Gym Family Fit & Fun Party Featuring Zumba Fitness® is sure to be a fantastic time for kids and families alike. Please contact My Gym Manhattan at 212-421-9496 or via email at lizrubin@mygym for participation details and more information, or visit My Gym of Manhattan at here.

Established in 1983 and named #1 Children's Fitness Franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2014, My Gym is a leading fitness center destination for children with over 400 locations worldwide, including international locations in China, France, Canada, and Brazil, among others. More than 30 additional locations are planned to open worldwide in the next 12 months. My Gym combines innovative early physical education/pre-gymnastics classes with state-of-the-art facilities to empower children ages 6 weeks through 10 years by helping them acquire the skills, confidence, and positive self-image needed to become healthy young adults. My Gym's award-winning, structured, noncompetitive and age-appropriate classes and birthday parties enhance children's overall development through games, music, exercise, sports, gymnastics, puppets, unique rides, and fun. The children gain strength, balance, coordination, fine and gross motor proficiency, agility, flexibility, and social skills. In addition to the recently added Dance, Martial Arts, and Zumba Classes (at select locations), My Gym features the interactive Building Blocks Program to all enrolled children ages 2.5 years and older. The program helps children work toward specific milestones in their physical, cognitive, and emotional development and then celebrates their achievements with stickers, progression ribbons, medals, trophies, graduation certificates and more in periodic Building Blocks Acknowledgment Ceremonies. The My Gym television show, "My Gym At Home," airs on BabyFirst, a 24/7 channel focusing on children's development. The My Gym at Home app is available for Apple/IOS and for Android devices.

For more information about My Gym and the location nearest you, please visit here. 

About Zumba Fitness, LLC

Founded in 2001, Zumba is the largest branded fitness company in the world - reporting more than 15 million weekly participants, in 200,000 locations, across 186 countries. Known as "exercise in disguise," Zumba® blends contagious world rhythms with easy-to-follow choreography for an effective, total-body workout that feels more like a party than exercise. In addition to its original Zumba® program, the company offers 10 Zumba® specialty classes- from aquatic-based to those specifically designed for active older adults and children. In 2016, Zumba launched its first non-dance, HIIT-based workout called STRONG by Zumba^TM, based on Synced Music Motivation. The Zumba® lifestyle is rounded out by the company's many consumer product offerings, including DVDs, video games and original music, activewear and footwear, nutrition drink line "Zumba Shake Shake Shake^TM," and interactive Fitness-Concert^TM events. For more information about Zumba's programs and products, or to find a live class, visit zumba.com. Visit the ZLife blog and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.