When the Virginia Home for Boys & Girls challenged its kids recently to get more exercise, the results were surprising. Not only did the kids dive into the project with unexpected fervor, but their behavior also improved at the same pace as their fitness levels.
“We’ve seen positive, unexpected consequences,” said Claiborne Mason, president of the Virginia Home, which provides group residences to youths 11 to 21 who have been placed there by social workers because of undesirable home conditions. Many of the kids have experienced abuse or trauma before arriving at the property off Broad Street in western Henrico County.
Exercise, it seems, provides the type of sensory therapy that helps kids through these types of issues.
“That’s why we’re seeing an improvement in behaviors,” Mason said. Reports on behavioral issues dropped significantly when the kids were competing in teams to see which group could log the most exercise.
They were all involved in a program called Virtual World Race, whereby each participant logs in the time spent on any exercise — walking, swimming, dancing, whatever — and that adds to the team’s overall progress in “racing” around the world. The race is tracked by a computer program that shows where each team is located at any given time. An online world map helps the kids to see their progress.
“It really motivated these kids,” Mason said. Kids who had been known to fight with one another were now part of a team, and they got along better. Kids who had repeated behavioral problems were getting in trouble less often.
A couple of the girls asked to get a ride to the mall, but they didn’t want to shop. They wanted to walk.
At one point in the competition, a house that’s all girls was leading. “And they were loving it,” Mason said.
In the end, a boys’ residence led by a staff person who competes in Ironman competitions took the prize.
At first, many of the kids were hesitant. They didn’t view themselves as exercisers. They didn’t want to buy into the program. But by the end, Mason said, most everyone was logging activity to boost a team.
“Healthy competition is good,” she said, smiling.
In many ways, the exercise sessions served as therapy. The Virginia Home strives to help kids overcome issues by finding an outlet and channeling energy in a positive way. Art, for instance, is often used to help kids express themselves and heal.
Exercise provides some of those same benefits, Mason said. “This is a way to redirect them in a healthy way.”
Plenty of studies have shown that exercise can be a huge help in combating stress. The endorphins released during moderate to intense activity are calming and mood-enhancing, thus helping a person cope with negative feelings.
In addition, studies show that exercise is highly beneficial to kids with attention challenges. They tend to perform better in school when they’re given more active breaks and recess time.
In conjunction with this year’s added emphasis on exercise, several of the kids participated in the second Virginia Home for Boys & Girls Youth Triathlon, held Aug. 24.
“The triathlon training was all about giving them confidence,” Mason said. Interestingly, the ones who dreaded it the most were the ones who seemed to benefit the greatest on race day.
“Those are the ones who finished the race and had big smiles on their faces,” she said, “and were feeling good about themselves.”
Maria Howard is a group exercise instructor for the YMCA of Greater Richmond. Her column runs every other week in Sunday Flair.
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