Active Cat Around the World, New Children's Book Hopes to Inspire Kids to Move More

BOSTON, Dec. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new children's book, Active Cat Around the World, was just released by The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), a fitness industry trade association with support from Gympass, a company that delivers wellness solutions for businesses and employees.

Young readers can follow Active Cat's journey around the world, discovering along the way that being active is fun and comes in many forms.

According to a recent study funded by the World Health Organization (WHO), insufficient physical activity is putting the future of a majority of adolescents worldwide at risk. More than 80% of school-going adolescents globally did not meet current recommendations of at least one hour of physical activity per day.

Add to this the growing childhood obesity rates and decline in youth sports participation—only 38% of kids ages 6 to 12 played team sports regularly in 2018. This frightening data makes the release of Active Cat Around the World timely.

"Active Cat Around the World teaches kids that there are fitness activities in every country that are fun to do," said Jay Ablondi, co-author of the book. "Our goal is to promote physical activity for kids of all ages as well as learning about different cultures and countries."

Father of two daughters, ages 6 and 9, Ablondi says they provided plenty of input on Active Cat's adventures, making the book not only kid-tested but peer-reviewed. 

"Gympass is committed to defeating global inactivity and proudly supports IHRSA and Active Cat Around the World in this effort," says Marco Crespo, CEO of Gympass, USA. "As a father of two young children, I know the impact that a book like this can have in encouraging children to be active, and I can't wait to read it to my kids!"

Written by Jay Ablondi and Jim Schmaltz, illustrated by Stan Tran, and designed by Samantha Cuozzo, Active Cat Around the World playfully showcases Active Cat traveling the world in search of fun sports to play and meeting new friends along the way. Released in time for the holiday season, Active Cat Around the World is sure to make a unique educational gift for children, libraries, nurseries, and kindergarten schools worldwide.

Active Cat Around the World is the second collaboration from the creative team of Ablondi, Schmaltz, Tran, and Cuozzo. In 2014, IHRSA published Active from A to Z, an alphabet learning book that illustrates animals being active, such as frogs playing Frisbee, kangaroos kickboxing, and a mythical unicorn riding a unicycle.

Both publications are available on Amazon.com.

About IHRSA
The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) is a not-for-profit trade association representing health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, sports clubs, and suppliers worldwide. IHRSA and its members are dedicated to making the world healthier through regular exercise and fitness promotion. For more information, visit ihrsa.org. Find an IHRSA club at healthclubs.com.

About Gympass
On a mission to defeat inactivity, Gympass is a transformational corporate wellness solution that builds mutually beneficial relationships between gyms and companies to help employees get active and healthy. Across 14 countries, Gympass partners with over 2,000 corporations to craft ongoing, personalized programs that inspire employees to enroll, stay motivated, and get active. To learn more, visit gympass.com.

Contact: Meredith Poppler, Vice President of Communication & Leadership Engagement, [email protected], +1 617-951-0055

SOURCE The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA)