Aims and objectives
Core Fit’s mission is to lead the way in preventative physical and mental health care in the young age group, enabling every child to be resilient, self driven, and most importantly have belief in themselves and hope.
If a child has inner pain or hurt then they should be heard and shown that although they may not be able to free themselves from their circumstances at this time, or necessarily change how others react, they can be helped to lessen the hurt and see a light at the end of their tunnel giving them hope of a happy and achievable future.
Core Fit aims to achieve this by providing a set of programmes, delivered in schools, which work on children’s physical and mental capacity to be core strong.
It also educates and highlights areas where we can improve the way leaders and parents/others can help children as they develop.
These programmes also enable early identification of issues which Core Fit Unique then address before they become deeper rooted or entrenched the child’s unconscious mind.
Core Fit Unique is highly focused on challenging beliefs and programmes that are already in place and on checking, assessing and developing ways that may work better in preventing issues, and improving mental health and physical strength in the child.
The programme’s aim is for participants to learn, recall, and apply the main themes of balance, core strength, flexibility and posture. Success of the aims are measured using both subjective and objective outcomes:
Subjective
On completion of the Core Fit Programme, participants should:
- Understand and report the main themes that to be fit and healthy they must look after their own strength, flexibility, balance and posture. Consider diet and water intake accounting for the amount and intensity of physical activity undertaken.
- Report that it is their own responsibility to look after their physical wellbeing.
- Understand they need to look after their own physical wellbeing in order to live life to the full and prevent injury, particularly future hip, knee, and back problems which may hinder their enjoyment of life or their sporting aspirations.
- Want to continue with the exercises once the programme has been completed. Core Fit has been designed and delivered with participants’ enjoyment in mind. Exercises are designed to be fun as well as physically beneficial by increasing participants’ strength and flexibility, leading to lifelong engagement.
- Identify lifestyle choices that will be beneficial to their health and wellbeing such as substituting sedentary activities with more active ones like dog walking, running, cycling and playing active outdoor games.
Objective
Participants should be able to demonstrate correct posture for a number of exercises following completion of the Core Fit programme. These exercises will test and improve their core strength, balance, flexibility and posture. Measures of assessment include the ability to correctly:
- Perform a sit-to-stand movement with good hip alignment, i.e. squat.
- Perform a walking lunge with good hip knee and back alignment for four steps.
- Hold a one knee bend with correct hip, knee and foot alignment.
- Carry out full quads and calf length stretches and can hold a calf raise unassisted.
- Demonstrate correct hip knee foot alignment in a bridge position. The majority of participants should be able to do alternate leg off floor and hold alignment.
- Exhibit the standard form and flawless posture whilst on all fours to test alternate arm and leg stretches while displaying good hold with back and hip strength.
- Stretch equally and bilaterally, with 70 to 90 degrees of hamstring length. The duration of this stretch should steadily, but comfortably increase.
Not all participants will be able to perform all assessments perfectly; the goal is that they must attempt each exercise and be able to correct poor positioning and balance in themselves and others.
The aim of the programme is to develop the four themes of core strength, flexibility, balance and posture so that positions can be maintained for longer periods of time. In doing so, exercise movements are balanced, easily flexible, and are performed correctly.