There is an obvious need to make sure everyone, especially kids and teens, have access to physical activities regardless of demographics, skill level, social, cultural and physical qualities.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular physical activity in childhood promotes life long health, well-being and may prevent various health conditions. There is a direct correlation between regular physical activity:
Improved cardiorespiratory health
Strong bones and muscles
Weight control
Reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Research also suggests that regular physical activity has a positive impact on academic achievement by having a direct impact on behavior and development of the brain.
Students that are physically active for at least 60 minutes a day on at least five days of the week or more have been shown to:
Have better grades
Have fewer school absences
Have improved cognition and Learning
Have improved behavior
Live Grit SOARS has a mission to improve the physical and emotional well-being of young people in the Chicago area. We believe that engaging our program participants in endurance sports, specifically the sport of triathlon - swimming, biking, and running, can help build habits to grow strong, healthy, accomplished future leaders for Chicago.
Our summer youth triathlon program starts in June and will result in our participants competing in the Chicago Kid’s Triathlon on August 29th, 2020. If you’d like to help our kids cross the finish please consider volunteering or donating. Together we can make Chicago’s youth SOAR!