First Steps Program

With children’s obesity escalating at an alarming rate, The FIRST STEPS FOR FAMILY FITNESS program provides an early preventive strategy to create and nourish a Positive Fitness Attitude for kids as well as adults, beginning at infancy and extending into adulthood. Breakthrough research in neuroscience, learning, and developmental psychology, show the value of incorporating positive fitness values into the family system, as early as possible. Most children are inherently quite active, so what happens in the surrounding environment to change their behavior patterns into “couch potato” lifestyles?  Research on the psychology of fitness has a great deal to offer on the specific reasons for these changes at different stages of life.

Dr. Robert Reiher (Dr. Bob) has developed a unique approach for introducing children and
families to the underlying issues that are blind spots and learned limitations in their long term
fitness development. The M.A.R.V.E.L. Method provides parents and caregivers a set of
practical tools to instill a Positive Fitness Attitude in children right from the beginning, Yes that’s right, from as early as infancy.

The M.A.R.V.E.L.  Method provides six unique, critical and interactive dimensions that provide the building blocks for a lifetime Positive Fitness Attitude.

• MODEL: Provide the right fitness model for your child.
• ATTUNE: Be “tuned in” to your child and yourself.
• REFLECT: Demonstrate positive self talk with your child and the ability to slow down, pause and “connect.”
• VALUE: Make fitness a priority by modeling  a daily fitness routine,  if even for a few minutes. This sets the stage for a Positive Fitness Attitude for years to come.
• ENGAGE: Nurture your child’s ability to focus and persist in a broad variety of tasks.
• LIMIT: Establish structure, routine, and the expectation of a committed time each day that’s specifically devoted to fun, fitness, and loving family communication.

We’ll be posting family activities and tips about how to use the M.A.R.V.E.L. Method to establish a Positive Fitness Attitude for your entire family. This material is supported by the latest psychological and neuroscience research and includes accompanying references and links to important articles, readings and web sites.