Health is one of the “H’s” in 4-H and therefore Pendleton County strives to incorporate fitness and health wellness as a major 4-H programming effort.  Physical fitness combats obesity, offsets sedentary life styles, and improves mental health.  Pendleton County 4-H fitness programming has impacted males and females fourth through twelfth grade and includes individuals of all races (white, black, Hispanic, Asian) as well as youth with special needs.              

The 4-H Fitness Club meets monthly and has participated in a variety of fitness activities such as Zumba, line dancing, workout videos, outdoor workout equipment, walking trails, 5K’s, and hiking trips.  The club also visited the University of Kentucky to learn culinary skills and cook with Chef Tanya Whitehouse.  Keeping a healthy diet in mind, this encounter had teen club members working with fresh produce to prepare Kentucky Burgoo and corn cakes.  

Middle school sixth graders have participated in line dancing with 4-H during their Fine Arts class.   Seventh and eighth grade Fine Arts students learned and experienced the culture of Tai Chi through a 30 minute workout routine.    Middle School gym class students, grades six through eight, have participated in cardio and strength-building through circuit training, stretching and relaxation through yoga, and fun, upbeat excursion through Dance Fit. The latter had youth learning about dance, participating in dance for exercise, and utilizing creative expression through development of a group dance.

Post evaluations conducted with 322 middle school individuals indicated that 140 agreed or strongly agreed they plan to incorporate more physical activity into their daily lives. Ninety-nine said they had never considered dancing as a form of exercise prior to the 4-H Dance Fit.  There were 212 individuals (67%) that reported having learned something new with yoga techniques.  Sixty-three percent reported that 4-H provided them their first experience with yoga.   Several students reported they learned new exercise moves with the circuit training, including Russian Twist, stance jacks, and high knees.  After being challenged to repeat each of the circuit training exercises over the weekend, one student exclaims, “I have been trying to work out regularly and was going to take Saturday off but you have given me a challenge that I must complete!”   Another student raved about the dance opportunities saying, “Thank you so much for bringing dance to our gym class.   I have had so much fun!”