CJ Senter, the Workout Kid

You can call CJ Senter a lot of things: big brother, little brother, honor roll student, and even football, baseball, and basketball player. In addition to all that, CJ is also known as the Workout Kid. The 11-year-old from the Atlanta area is one of the youngest fitness instructors around. He is star of the Workout Kid DVD series. In a two-disc set released in 2011, he leads kids through multiple exercises to build muscle, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness. (Cardiovascular refers to the heart and blood vessels.) Another DVD set of even more challenging exercises is due to be released this year.

"The reason I chose the exercises is because they're real hard and sometimes they take your breath away," he says. "It's wonderful."

CJ has had a lot of practice as a fitness expert. He's been hooked on exercise when he was 5, when his football coach told the team to get fit for a big game. Young CJ took that advice seriously.

"I just like working out because it's fun. You get fit and healthy," he says.

CJ sticks to a routine. After school he first does his homework and then completes his hour-long workout. Only then does he spend time with his family or play outside with friends.

He hopes that the DVD series will grow so much that kids around the world will benefit from it by getting hooked on his passion.

"I want kids to get on their feet and exercise," he says.

People around the country have started taking notice of the Workout Kid. He has been interviewed for TV. And people have started recognizing him while shopping.

What are CJ's tips for staying healthy? Two suggestions he has are to drink plenty of water, and to go outside and stay active for at least one hour.

©2012 Weekly Reader Corporation. A version of this article originally appeared in Current Health Kids, January 2012. Photo courtesy of the Workout Kid.