Without missing a beat, the students scrambled clockwise in groups of four or five to another station, where they took up another grueling exercise.
‘‘This gives them the exact same workout people get by paying hundreds of dollars to go to a gym,” Moser said.
But this one is free.
Moser, a certified personal trainer, was leading the students in an after-school fitness program that her Virginia-based nonprofit organization, Functional Fitness for Kids Inc., is piloting in Prince George’s County this spring at the Fort Washington elementary school.
The program aims to promote better health and fitness by sending kids through 45-minute, ‘‘cutting edge” workouts that have little down time and are designed to develop students’ speed, strength, agility, balance and coordination, said Moser, the organization’s executive director.
Moser, who teaches eighth grade health and physical education in Fairfax County, Va., said she approached Beckford earlier this year about starting the program at Fort Foote because she lives in Fort Washington and wanted to help a local school.
‘‘I thought, well, I really want to reach out to kids here,” she said.
Fort Foote’s program is the first in Maryland run by Moser’s nonprofit. It is funded through a $14,000 grant Moser’s organization received from the Prince George’s Community Foundation and National Harbor.
Students in grades three through six who signed up to participate – about 45 in all – also learn about sugar, carbohydrates, calories, food servings and other aspects of nutrition. After each session, Moser provides healthy snacks and teaches the students how to make smart eating decisions based on the nutrition labels on food packages.
‘‘It’s very cool,” third-grader David Johnson said. ‘‘Some of it’s difficult, like when I run up and down the hill five times. That’s hard, because that hill is steep.”
Gianna Graham, also a third-grader, said she appreciated the opportunity to get exercise.
‘‘I think it’s nice because when I’m just sitting at home watching TV, I don’t get any exercise. When I’m out here it’s fun and I get exercise,” she said.
Principal Sonia E. Beckford said the program, which ran for eight weeks and finished June 5, has had a noticeable effect on students’ fitness and diet.
‘‘Some of my chunky kids are making better decisions in the lunch room,” she said.
Beckford said she wants Moser to bring the program back next fall, and to expand the number of sessions.
‘‘This is a wonderful program. I’m so glad she brought it to my neighborhood,” she said.
E-mail Andy Zieminski atazieminski@gazette.net.
