ATHENS-The Athens Recreation Department is adding three new fall classes including one that will use fun activities to teach children nutrition and get them active.
The department requested its Facebook followers to suggest classes they would like to take this fall, which resulted in the addition of Zumba, yoga and Savvy Kids Fitness, said Chad Vining, the recreation services supervisor.
Flo Doughty has joined Athens Recreation as a program instructor and is certified in Zumba, yoga fit, senior yoga, youth fitness and more. She is an American College of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer and has training from the American Council on Exercise in Pilates, youth fitness and kickboxing.
The Savvy Kids Fitness is for children ages 6-12. Each class will consist of a 
lesson in nutrition and an exercise session. Vining said nutrition lessons will cover a wide range of topics such as how to read food labels, the different types of fat and the benefits of Vitamin C. It will also include a section on fast food menus to help children make better choices when they eat out.
Each class will include a healthy snack, such as homemade whole grain bread, muscadines, star fruit, pomegranates, kale chips and veggie and fruit smoothies. Doughty will used creative ways to incorporate exercise into the class, such as making obstacle courses from chairs or playing black light volleyball with balloons.
“Savvy Kids Fitness is so fun, the kids forget it is exercise,” Doughty said. “When exercise is fun, kids don’t dread it. They’re excited to get in there and get at it.”
Savvy Kids Fitness will be offered at the Recreation Center starting in November on Mondays and Thursdays at 4 p.m. Cost is $5 per class.
Adults can enjoy fun physical activity that doesn’t feel like exercise by joining the Zumba or yoga classes. The Zumba and Yoga classes are $5 per class or $30 a month for unlimited classes.
Zumba classes will be high energy level classes that can be adapted for all levels, Vining said. Classes will be at the Recreation Center starting in November on Mondays at 5:15 p.m., Thursdays at 5:15 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:15 a.m. Yoga classes will be offered on Mondays at 6:30 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m.
“You’ve got to keep your body active, even if that means just turning on 
some music and dancing for an hour,” Doughty said. “That’s how you’ll prepare your bodies and your minds for greatness.”
In addition to the three new classes, Athens Recreation will offer Wado Ryu karate. Sensei Bill Ireland instructs the karate class on Monday (advanced), Tuesday (beginners) and Thursday (all skill levels) at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $30 a month and $15 a month for additional family members.
Registration for fall basketball also is ongoing through Nov. 7. Practice will begin at the end of November with games during the months of January and February. The fee is $45.
For more information about classes, call Athens Recreation at 256-233-8740. The Athens Recreation Center is located on Alabama 251 next to Athens High School’s football stadium.
