16| Mike Shipper: Youth Fitness & Inclusive Sports for Athletes of All Abilities

Studies have shown 81% of children and adolescents between 11–17 are not active enough for optimal health. Scary considering all the health conditions like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and mood disorders that are affecting a rapidly increasing number of lives.
How are kids active? During sports and play! Between 1981 and 1997, detailed time-use studies showed that the time children spent at play declined by 25%. So what are kids doing with their time? And why such a BIG decline?

A big reason is because academic demands at school have escalated, too much time is devoted to preparation for academic testing and children are robbed of the joy of discovery and curiosity that is part of play.
Having community run fitness centers for kids with busy families is needed. Today we are interviewing Mike Shipper who is a youth fitness specialist and owns Empowered Sports and Fitness located in the upper west side of Manhattan.
“We work with special needs athletes and having grown up with special needs myself, this was something that I always had a strong passion for- a strong desire for.” -Mike Shipper
Their motto is EVERYONE GETS TO PLAY- Empowered Sports & Fitness provides inclusive movement opportunities for athletes of all ages and abilities. Whether there is a developmental disability, a delayed social skill, or a physical challenge, their goal is to be active, have fun, and provide a program that takes individual needs into account.
"We focus on sports and fitness. We try and find- from our athletes- what they love, what they like and we turn those interests into games. And once the game comes to life, they forget where they are, what they're doing, why they're doing it. It's no longer work. They're just having a great time." - Mike Shipper
!! Receive 20% off when you sign up for an assessment at Empowered Sports and Fitness today !!
Register for the Toddler Program here!
Families can find us on our website: www.empoweredsportsandfitness.com
IG: @empowered.sports.fitness
YouTube: Empowered Sports and Fitness
TikTok: @coachmikenyc
Learn about physical therapy services at Reload here
Learn about fitness services at Reload here
IG: @reload.pt
Diggin' the intro/outro jam? Check out my friend, Joe Spinelli on SoundCloud!