ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- One of the best gifts you can give a child this holiday season may not be the latest gadget , toy , or tasty treat , but instead the gift of a healthy lifestyle . Participants get a workout at the FitWit fitness boot camp . An Atlanta-based non-profit organization is doing its part to combat childhood obesity by teaching kids proper nutrition and exercise in a six-week fitness boot camp similar to NBC 's `` The Biggest Loser . '' The FitWit Foundation hopes its program will catch on nationwide . `` We wanted to work with teens in a meaningful way , and we saw firsthand how fitness and physical activity in general is being neglected in this population . With a lot of help from volunteers and donors , we 've started a program this past spring that encourages hard work and is a fun way to get in shape , '' said FitWit instructor Ben Thoele . FitWit 's program is a six-week after-school boot camp competition which rewards participants with prizes for meeting fitness goals . An iPod Nano was the grand prize for Atlanta Public Schools students completing a recent fitness session . Watch for more on FitWit » . Students who are motivated to get in shape but not involved in an organized sports team are selected as contestants . Participants ' fitness levels are assessed at the beginning and end of the program . Each week , volunteers lead three 60-minute sessions that include fitness instruction and physical health education . In addition , the participants are assigned two home workouts to be performed between sessions . `` After six weeks , all participants have an increased total fitness ability . We averaged over 40 percent improvement in total fitness in our first program last spring . It 's common to have a participant double their fitness ability , '' Thoele said . `` A lot of these kids do n't know how to work out , or that they even have the capacity to work out . They gain an appreciation for pushing their limits , and when that happens , we see a tremendous boost in their self-confidence , '' he said . The need for increased fitness across the country is striking . According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 17.6 percent of U.S. teenagers were obese in 2006 -- more than triple the rate in 1980 . Obesity puts the teens at increased risk for heart disease , bone and joint problems , sleep apnea , and social and psychological problems , the CDC says . `` Success for us is when a kid is thinking about fitness outside of the program , because they enjoy how they feel when they 're in better shape , '' Thoele said . `` Our first winner , Raquel , told us that she continued to come because she just felt better . She had incredible numbers as well . She was not able to perform even one sit-up at the start of the program and did 21 in our final assessments . She also shed more than 90 seconds off her mile time . '' `` Since I 've been here , I 've been eating healthy , '' one FitWit participant said . `` I have been watching what I eat and drink . I drink three cups of water every day . And I exercise more often . I do n't spend too much time inside my home anymore . ''
FitWit 's program is a six-week after-school boot camp competition . CDC data shows childhood obesity is a huge problem in the U.S . Program rewards participants with prizes for meeting fitness goals .