Health & Wellness Programs

Full Report (pics) below!

FY23 Boston Children’s Hospital Fitness Evaluation

On average, HFZ scores for program year participants increased overall by 22.0 percentage points. Within season, HFZ scores increased by 64.7 percentage points in the fall (significant change) and 8.9 percentage points in the spring. MORE HERE!

Right now, this Fall ’23 Lawrence Youth Soccer season, PACER testing is underway. We look forward to tracking player fitness levels through mid-November!

Our Lead Health & Wellness Partner made this possible!

Our Health & Wellness priorities, or Health Kicks!, provide youth with important, year-round access to healthy, active living initiatives that give them the tools and self-confidence to lead healthier and happier lives. Through consistent exposure to nutrition education, sports, and wellness programming, Health Kicks! is designed to positively influence the behaviors and attitudes of our young participants regarding the importance of physical activity and the foods they eat. By doing this, we indirectly affect their families and the greater Lawrence community.

  • Fuel-4-Performance Nutrition Education Classes (#FFP): Every travel player participates in a seasonal class with their teammates where they learn about eating for sport. These nutrition classes utilize Boston Children’s Hospital’s FitKit resources. Some topics include proper pre & post-game nutrition, the timing of meals, and adequate hydration.—#FFP is currently underway this fall!
  • Cooking Courses: We host 4-6 week cooking courses that are again designed around BCH’s FitKit education and programming standards. Classes focus on topics such as the “health benefits of a low glycemic diet” and “how to build a balanced meal” that tie into the hands-on food prep.—These classes will start up in November after the fall travel season!
  • Beyond Fit: This 8-10 week off-season program helps kids improve cardiovascular endurance while also focusing on sport-specific improvements in footwork, coordination, strength, and speed. Summer Coach-Mentors also assist with program design and implementation. It’s especially popular among high school students trying to increase their fitness for their sports seasons.–It will relaunch in winter 2023.
  • Beyond Fit & Balanced: A new addition to our wellness programs designed in response to COVID-19. For 8 months, Beyond #FAB provided critical mentorship to middle and H.S. females. Most weeks included female speakers and journaling.–Currently under redevelopment. We hope to start up in January 2023 through a partnership with Center for Healing & Justice through Sport!
  • Alternative Fitness & Outings: Beyond Soccer always looks for other off-the-field experiences that reinforce the importance of healthy, active lifestyles. We sponsor hiking and farm trips and participation in local road races, Zumba, and yoga.—Currently part of Lawrence Youth Soccer.

Our "Core" Beyond Soccer-Lawrence Youth Soccer players’ healthy-fitness zones are tracked with PACER

As you can see, in partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital FITKit Team;

  • Figures 1 & 2: On average, HFZ scores increased significantly by 51.6 percentage points in the fall and 15.3 percentage points in the spring.
  • Improvements in fitness were notable among children with low starting fitness levels (HFZ<100), demonstrating that Beyond Soccer Travel Teams effectively improve outcomes, including for the most vulnerable populations.
  • Figure 3: On average, HFZ scores for program year participants increased overall by 22.0 percentage points. Within season, on average, HFZ scores increased by 64.7 percentage points in the fall (significant change) and 8.9 percentage points in the spring.