Faulconbridge Public School students from kindergarten to Year 6 were put through their paces doing sprints, jumps and balancing drills last Friday to get a taste for a new early morning fitness program being offered twice a week by FitLab founder Brendan Luchetti.
An experienced physical education teacher and Blue Mountains City councillor, Mr Luchetti said "our main idea is to get kids moving in the morning before school starts".
"Research shows that if they can get active for up to 60 minutes they will perform better at school during the day," Mr Luchetti said.
"Already, feedback we've received from teachers are that students are more settled when they come to class and are able to stay focused for longer.
"Each exercise, fitness or co-ordination drill is kept to 10 minutes or less to keep the kids engaged.
"We avoid repetition and design the program to be as enjoyable as possible because we understand the most important ingredient is fun when it comes to getting kids engaged in health and fitness.
"Variety is the key - we use all sorts of equipment from medicine balls and battle ropes to mini hurdles, agility poles and speed ladders."
Faulconbridge Public School Year 6 teacher Trevor McDonald said "we are the first public school in the Mountains offering FitLab sessions before school to improve the fitness and skills of students."
FitLab has also begun running sessions every Wednesday morning at St Thomas Aquinas Primary School in Springwood.
Mr Luchetti hopes the program expands to other schools in the area.
across the Blue Mountains and western Sydney and, in the longer term, become a successful model adopted by schools across Australia and overseas.
