
Wellspring UK Weight Loss Camp
Achieves Unprecedented Weight Loss in Children and Teenagers
24 Children Achieve Weight Loss
of Up to 19 kg in Eight Weeks or Less at Summer Weight Loss Camp
Penrith, Cumbria (PRWEB) November
13, 2006 -- Wellspring UK, Europe's first scientifically based
weight loss camp for children and adolescents ages 12-17, announced
record weight loss for its programme participants over the 2006
two-month summer session.
On average, students lost 2 kg per week, with some students losing
as much as 16 and 19 kg. Most students who had enrolled in the
programme were at least 9 kg overweight before enrollment and had
been struggling to control their weight for a year.
Wellspring UK incorporates a summer camp environment with a focus on
weight loss through diet and activity management. It also utilizes a
unique cognitive behavioural therapy to address the psychological
and emotional issues that often prevent successful long-term weight
control. Throughout the programme students self-monitor their
dietary intake and exercise levels and record their thoughts and
feelings to help them in their goal of becoming long-term weight
controllers.
According to Daniel Kirschenbaum, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry &
behavioural sciences at Northwestern University Medical School in
the United States and clinical director of Healthy Living Academies,
the division of Aspen Education that operates Wellspring Camps, not
only is the programme successful in addressing weight issues, it
also produces positive results in terms of young people's attitudes
and outlooks on life. "Weight loss greatly improves a child's
physical health, but the real miracle that occurs is the change in
the child's self-image, which enhances their outlook on life and
reinforces the idea that anything is possible," said Dr.
Kirschenbaum.
When the time came to collect my daughter, I found her radiant,
obviously fit and healthy, and unrecognizable as the rather shy girl
I had left behind," remarked one parent. Another parent commented
that his son is now "full of energy and back participating in
sports." In addition, the parent stated that because of the weight
loss, the son is now "more accepted amongst his peers and is
included in social outings."
Since leaving the programme, Wellspring students have continued to
self-monitor, maintain a journal and set goals online, which are
overseen by their behavioural therapist from the programme. In
spring 2007, Wellspring will announce results from a follow-up study
showing progress six to nine months after each student's return
home. Wellspring's U.S. programmes have demonstrated continued
weight loss over this period for two consecutive years. Wellspring
UK is confident that it will replicate this success in the students
who attended the programme this summer.
Wellspring UK provides students with a wide range of healthy
activities including football, rugby, basketball, rounders, hockey,
and tennis as well as circuit training, kick boxing, weight
training, swimming and dance. Students also experience outdoor
adventure activities such as rock climbing, hiking and canoeing in
the Lake District National Park and Eden Valley.
With increasing government and health organizations' concerns for
the health of children, Wellspring UK and its U.S. affiliates have
attracted international attention. In 2006, Wellspring UK attracted
students from the UK, Belgium, Norway, Georgia, Greece, Turkey,
Kuwait, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Wellspring UK plans to triple the number of places available for
next summer and is currently looking to work with government, the
NHS and other organizations who are working to address the epidemic
of paediatric and adolescent obesity. For more information, call
07999657120 or visit
www.wellspringcamp.co.uk.
Wellspring UK is a programme of Healthy Living Academies, a division
of Aspen Education Group. Healthy Living Academies operates
residential schools and summer programs addressing pediatric and
adolescent obesity. Healthy Living Academies programs include
Wellspring UK, Academy of the Sierras California, Academy of the
Sierras North Carolina, Wellspring NY, Wellspring Adventure Camp
North Carolina, Wellspring Adventure Camp California, Wellspring
Texas, Wellspring Hawaii, and Wellspring Family Camp. To learn more
about Academy of the Sierras, Wellspring Camps or Healthy Living
Academies, visit
www.healthylivingacademies.com or call 07999657120.
Aspen Education Group is recognized as the leading provider of
education programs for struggling or underachieving young people.
Aspen's 36 programs in America provide a range of therapeutic
interventions including boarding schools, residential treatment and
wilderness therapy. For more information, visit
www.aspeneducation.com.
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