June 30 to July 13, 2012 (Kids 8 - 16)

Fun for the whole family! Now in its 11th year, the Pritikin Family Program delivers phenomenal health and weight-loss results in just two weeks, and empowers kids to grow into lean, healthy adults.

In our Pritikin Family Program, both kids and parents learn how fun and rewarding a healthy life can be. Some children come to lose weight. Others have no weight issues. All enjoy a fun camp-like atmosphere.

Each day, the kids whoop and holler their way through drum-thumping “Cardiac rap” aerobic workouts, “Funky Salsa Hop” dance classes, strength training called “Pump ‘Em Up,” kid-friendly nutrition and cooking classes, and afternoons filled with swimming, golf, volleyball, and tennis. They also enjoy tasty snacks and meals like chewy potato skins, icy fruit smoothies, salsa-bean burritos, chicken pasta primavera, and chocolate ice cream.

Meanwhile, parents receive the full benefit of the traditional, for-adults Pritikin Health and Weight-Loss Program. They can also attend workshops on motivating their kids to make healthy choices.

In peer-reviewed studies on children in the Pritikin Family Program, scientists at UCLA found that in just two weeks the children:

• Shed on average 9 pounds (among children needing to lose weight).
• Decreased LDL bad cholesterol 25% and total cholesterol 23%.
• Lowered triglyceride fats 39%.
• Reduced key markers of inflammation.
• Eliminated the metabolic syndrome.

Total Immersion In Healthy Living... And A Lot Of Fun

Some kids come to lose weight. Others have no weight issues. All enjoy a fun camplike atmosphere. And all are at Pritikin because their parents know that healthy habits learned early in life means there's a very good chance their children will enjoy healthy habits throughout life.

To curb childhood obesity, the entire family needs to be involved, insists every major pediatric health organization. Family immersion in healthy living, taught by nationally renowned physicians, dietitians, and exercise physiologists, is what the Pritikin Family Program is all about.

More important (as far as the kids are concerned) is that the program’s just a whole lot of fun. Each day, the children get movin' in tennis and dance classes as well as strength training, music-charged aerobic workouts, and afternoons horsing around at the Blue Lagoon recreation area, which features a 125-foot waterslide, waterfalls, and games like volleyball, soccer, basketball, and poolside bingo.

The cooking classes get high marks, too. The kids make – and get a big kick out of sampling – tasty snacks, soups, sorbets, pastas, crepes, cookies, and Mexican beans and tortillas.

In kid-friendly nutrition classes taught by Pritikin's dietitians, the children are exposed to some real eye-openers, like the number of teaspoons of sugar (more than 10!) in a can of Coke, and how smooth-skinned arteries can turn "gnarly with cholesterol boils" after years of eating the wrong foods.

Meanwhile, parents receive the full benefit of the traditional, for-adults Pritikin Health and Weight-Loss Program. They can also attend workshops to learn strategies for motivating their kids to make healthy choices, such as planning menus with your kids, handling picky eaters and junk food lovers, and fitting fitness fun into everyday family life.

The Epidemic - Childhood Obesity, Diabetes, and Heart Disease

Never before was it so vital that we improve the diet and exercise habits of our children. We don’t have a few overweight kids in America. We have a national health crisis.

Among U.S. teens, obesity-related Type 2 diabetes has increased 800% during the past decade. And nearly 70% of teens in America show the initial stages of fatty streaks, or early heart disease, in their arteries -- not only overweight adolescents but thin ones as well. This is the first generation in history, scientists predict, in which parents may outlive their children.

The Solution – Pritikin Delivers Results

A powerful solution, UCLA researchers have documented,* is the Pritikin Family Program. In a study on overweight kids attending the program, the scientists found that in just two weeks, the children:

• Lowered total cholesterol on average 23%.
• Decreased LDL bad cholesterol 25%.
• Shed 9 pounds.
• Lowered triglyceride fats 39%.
• Reduced key markers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein and oxidative stress, by 41% and 81%, respectively.
• Increased the body’s production of nitric oxide, a very beneficial chemical that expands blood vessels, increases blood flow, and squelches plaque growth and blood clotting.

* Atherosclerosis, 2007; 191: 98

Young Adults Program & Sports Clinic

July 14 to 27, 2012 (Ages 17 - 28)

Every summer, Pritikin conducts a popular program geared to college students called Young Adults that features good eats, fitness, and a fantastic education in healthy living and staying lean.

Young adults know they want to live healthier. They’re just not sure how. Pritikin provides the tools and motivation that set the stage for lifelong success. What better gift than two weeks at Pritikin where they’ll learn all the ins and outs of healthy living - and enjoy meeting like-minded peers.

Workshops cover topics such as:

• How not to gain weight while living on campus.
• How to stock the refrigerator with healthy food that satisfies hunger all day long.
• How to put together quick and easy snacks and meals, wherever you are.
• How to order well (even at fast food restaurants).

Sports Activities include:

• Volleyball
• Bowling
• Basketball
• Tennis
• Golf
• Pritikin Ironman Fitness Challenge
• Beach Outing