How Does the 'Cups' Song Help Kids Get Fit?

By Autumn Johnson

If you think hearing the uberpopular Cups song on the radio is catchy, wait until you hear it with 13 kids tapping out the Cups rhythm using drumsticks on giant fitness stability balls. The quirky concept is part of the unique approach to fitness taught to the kids at the F.I.T. Kids Move camp run by instructor Elena Crandell at Earthly Delights Fitness in Pleasanton.

Children ages five and up feel the beat and get their blood pumping not only with the Cups song, but also with obstacle courses, playing soccer while crab walking, breaking a sweat with some UJam moves and mixing it up with bit of Zumba.

During the week-long day camp, which debuted this summer, Crandell teaches kids about making healthy snacks, meals and food choices while getting kids to have fun and get fit at the same time. Kids try their hand— after learning to properly wash their hands— to make healthy versions of bruschetta, orzo and ground turkey stuffed bell peppers, lasagna and smoothies. 

New Zealander Winiata "Win" Shortland, owner of Earthly Delights Fitness, says the kids get very excited during the camp.

"In the kitchen, the kids are really into it," Shortland said.

Crandell, who is a mother of three girls, has a contagious passion for getting kids to unplug from their devices and get in shape. Crandell says kids can be kids and play while getting exercise at the same time. Crandell's class stimulates kids' cognitive abilities in addition to working the muscles in their bodies. 

F.I.T. Kids (Fun, Interactive, Training) class is also offered throughout the year on Fridays at 4:30 p.m. and Crandell says they hope to offer the camps in the fall and spring as well as the summers. Earthly Delights also book birthday parties and kids from all over Tri-Valley are welcomed.

Tucked away at 7063 Commerce Circle since 2009, Earthly Delights has UJam, Zumba, kick boxing and circuit training weekly for adults. The cost to join the Earthly Delights Fitness is $60 per month. 

Earthly Delights also offers meal delivery of healthy, prepared gourmet meals to Dublin, Pleasanton, Fremont, Livermore, Castro Valley, San Leandro, Danville, Alamo and San Ramon. According to the website, meals are ordered online and can also be picked up at Earthly Delights or delivered. The meals are designed to mange weight loss or weight management.

Shortland's background is in exercise physiology and Shortland says he found Crandell when she was teaching at Club Sport in Pleasanton. 

"I wanted to add classes like Zumba that included dance movements after learning about research that showed that kind of physical activity greatly improved cognitive ability in adults as we age," Shortland commented.

The staff at Earthly Delights strives to give back to the Tri-Valley community as well as helping kids and adults get fit. In April, Earthly Delights helped raise money for a Dublin boy who has been battling a rare brain tumor.

[Related article: Earthly Delights Fitness Hosting Fundraiser for Dublin Boy Fighting Brain Tumor]

More information about the classes and meal options offered can be found on the Earthly Delights Fitness website.