In January of 2009, Healthy Lifestyles opened the Active Teens program in response to an identified need for supervised exercise space for teens who cannot afford membership to traditional gym facilities. Active Teens is a free exercise program for overweight teenagers aged 12 to 18 and their family members who live in Durham and the surrounding area. Each qualifying teen receives a complete medical, nutritional, and behavioral evaluation at the Healthy Lifestyles clinic, and is then provided free access to aerobic and isometric exercise equipment located at the nearby Duke Lenox Baker Children's Hospital. Participants are given an orientation to the equipment in both the cardio and weight rooms.  Active Teen staff and volunteers are always present during hours to assist the participants in their workouts.

Special Activities

Group Activities

• Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 6:00pm – 6:30pm
• Every Saturday from 12:00pm – 12:30pm

Examples include Yoga, Ab Exercises, “Thriller Routine”, Relays, Outdoor/Indoor Circuits, Bootcamp, and Step Routines.

Special Guests
We also have special guests come to work out with us! The Duke basketball and soccer teams as well as other great athletes, like Mechelle Lewis, have visited and worked out with us!

Goals of the Program

The immediate goal of the program is to treat obesity and related medical illnesses through increased physical activity levels. The long-term goals are to improve quality of life and prevent chronic illness. In addition, we hope that by guiding teens and their families through exercise routines, we can build a lifelong commitment to fitness.

Nike Incentives

Attendance Competition
Participants with top attendance at Active Teens will receive a Nike $25 gift card. To win, you must have attended at least two times per week.

100 Session Milestone
After a participant has attended 100 sessions (about one year of participation), he or she will receive a $100 Nike Gift Card.

Nike gift cards can be redeemed online at Nike.com or at either of the two Nike outlet stores in North Carolina. We encourage that Nike gift cards be used to purchase walking/running shoes, exercise equipment, or the Nike + system that allows teens to keep track of exercise speed/miles. Please read the product information carefully as some products have other system requirements before they are functional.

Healthy Lifestyles Tips

Rethink your drink! Choose healthy beverages.

• Minimize screen time! Limit to less than two hours a day.
• Be active for 60 minutes a day.
• Sleep for health! Learn how much sleep you need and how to make that a reality.
• Eat right-sized family meals at home! Learn portion sizes and easy, healthy recipes.

If you are exercising regularly and eating right but are not losing weight, remember that muscle weighs more than fat, and you are becoming HEALTHIER!

Location

Lenox Baker Children's Hospital
3000 Erwin Road
Durham, NC 27705
919-684-6669
Directions

Hours

Contact

Julia Wacker
Program Coordinator
Email: julia.wacker@duke.edu

Sarah Armstrong
Project Consultant
Email: sarah.c.armstrong@duke.edu