Outside the Box Thinking Launches Camp California Fitness
(Source: California Family Physician)
Today’s popular media has done an excellent job educating the public about the epidemic levels of obesity in the United States. While the scope of the problem is well defined, successful long-term solutions to this complex problem are hard to find. For family physicians, obesity is easy to diagnose, but challenging to treat in the confines of office visits. This challenge is multiplied in adolescent patients who are often reluctant to talk about anything, especially personal issues such as body weight. Several years ago, our group of family physicians at Romeo Medical Clinic began looking for resources for our overweight adolescent patients and found very little that was comprehensive in nature.
In 2002, we began having conversations with a friend and personal trainer who shared a passion for guiding people into healthy lifestyles and has successfully navigated the difficult road of being an overweight adolescent. We put our dreams, ideas and finances together to create Camp California Fitness. The camp would never have gotten off the ground without a diverse team including: family and sports medicine physicians, a family physician with an MBA and extensive business experience, an experienced personal trainer with background in psychology, a dietician, a mental health professional, a health promotion specialist and marketing person. Starting a venture like this requires a lot of sweat equity, patience and an ability to tolerate risk. This is a challenge in the midst of a full time clinical practice and could not be accomplished without a team that works well together.
Camp California Fitness is a year long program with the core component taking place in the summer. Girls from aged 8-18 are housed in college dorms from 2-8 weeks depending on their desired length of stay. The physicians all live within several minutes of the campus for on-call purposes, direct the camp’s curriculum and have a daily presence at the camp. Campers and counselors are drawn from around the U.S. and internationally. With one counselor for every four girls, they feel at home quickly and make lasting friendships. We like to tell the girls when they arrive that they have not just come to a summer camp, they have joined the CCF family.
All of the meals and snacks are planned by the camp dietician. The meals are well balanced, total approximately 1600 calories a day and taste good! Nutrition and cooking classes are a key part of the education. The goal is for the girls to able to choose foods wisely, understand what their body needs, and enjoy what they eat. They also learn about portion sizes, reading food labels, practical strategies for shopping at the grocery store, eating out and special celebratory occasions. There is no secret Camp California Fitness “diet” or supplements. The girls are armed with knowledge to make positive food choices throughout their lifetime. Eating is an opportunity to do something good for yourself and equip yourself with what you need to get the most out of life!
For physical activity, variety and fun is stressed. The campers are exposed to many types of exercise. They learn strategies for implementing their favorites throughout various times of year. New experiences include self-defense, weight training, cardio kick boxing, Pilates, hip hop dancing and many others. They are also taught the numerous benefits of exercise. With an integrated curriculum, exercise is taught as a key mental health strategy, a social tool, a method of connecting with their spiritual side and something that can spur them on to eat better.
The mental health and self-image curriculum is an indispensable portion of the program. This includes strategies for dealing with stress, learning about distorted body images in the media, peer pressure, depression and anxiety, eating disorders, and the importance of proper sleep. The multidisciplinary curriculum includes creative physician lectures, role playing, individual and group sessions with mental health professionals, and individual journaling.
While the majority of the camp is focused on what’s on the inside, the outer body is also celebrated. Topics such as acne treatment strategies, hygiene, skin care, clothing tips and other issues are discussed. The campers receive a professional makeover that makes them feel like a celebrity. They receive a new graduation hair style of their choice, individual make-up application strategies and enjoy a day shopping at the mall for a graduation outfit with their new clothing sizes!
Graduation day is quite special and “hits home” how far the girls have come in a short amount of time. In some cases, parents arrive and pass up their daughters on campus without recognizing them! Many tears are shed that day as families celebrate their daughter’s accomplishments. On average, the campers lose 28.5 pounds and 7.8% body fat over the eight weeks. A desire for weight loss is what draws most of the campers to CCF, but they leave with so much more. It is emphasized that weight loss is a “side effect” of healthy living and not the ultimate endpoint. Most importantly, they leave with renewed hope, concrete goals and the tools to achieve them. Parents are given advice on how to support lifestyle changes for their daughters and instructed that they now have someone in their household who knows more about healthy living than 99% of Americans. After camp they are supported through on-going email contact, newsletters, phone calls and the mid-year weekend retreat at Disneyland.
Over the last three years, it has been incredibly gratifying to hear stories from the girls and their parents about continuing weight loss, improving grades, joining social clubs and sports teams, improving communication skill, doing their chores, developing healthier relationships and achieving a huge list of previously unreachable goals. The only complaint we consistently get from parents is that too many boys are now calling the house!
Camp California Fitness provides a much needed resource for adolescent girls and hopefully will inspire other family physicians to think outside the box to meet the needs of their community and the world!
Read this article in the Winter 2007 issue of California Family Physician.
