It’s Not Your Parents’ Health Club ; More Gyms Offering Ways to Get Youngsters Active

NEW YORK – Like many parents, Diana Ennen had trouble getting her daughter Amber to exercise.

So two years ago, she decided Amber was coming to the health club. Now 10, Amber is using the stair stepper, lifting hand weights and doing sit-ups on a stability ball.

“She’s lost some weight,” said Mrs. Ennen, of Margate, Fla. “Her clothes fit better. You can tell she’s firmer.”

It might sound like a grown-up routine, but many parents are enrolling their children in fitness centers or buying child-sized equipment for a workout more grueling than ballet or Little League but cheaper than hiring a personal trainer.

Last year, 1.3 million children ages 6 to 11 were members of a health club, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association. As of April, a quarter of the association’s member clubs surveyed had children’s programs.

At Action Kids Fitness Cen-ter, which has two locations in California, children can take a 40- to 45-minute circuit training workout with resistance machines and cardio stations, including stationary bikes that connect to a PlayStation 2 console. The center also has hip-hop dance, yoga, karate and monthly nutrition classes.

“We really pride ourselves on the energy and excitement we put into making fitness fun,” center co-founder Steve Ewing said. “We don’t want them to be thinking they are overweight and obese. We want them to acknowledge that moving is fun.”

The circuit workout at Fun-fit Family Fitness Center in Rockville, Md., has a tot-sized exercise bike, an air stepper and hydraulic strength-training equipment. Children and parents can also use personal trainers together or take classes including yoga for tots.

Such workouts are a long way from riding bikes and playing tag. But in an era of rising childhood obesity, physical education cutbacks and a more sedentary lifestyle, children’s gyms make sense, said Rosemary Lavery, the health association’s spokeswoman.

Today’s parents are busy working and less apt to let their children go outside and play, said Celia Kibler, the founder of Funfit.

“Parents need a place where they know their kids can stay active, stay healthy and be in a safe place that’s supervised by professional people,” she said.

Home play has also gotten a jolt from video games such as Nintendo’s Wii Fit. With an electronic device called the Gamercize, children can play video games as long as they are stepping or cycling – stop stepping and the video game stops.

Children become so plugged into the games, they forget they are exercising, said Terry Grim, the director of business development for KickStart Fitness, the U.S. distributor of the Gamer-cize

Stephanie Ochoa, 32, of San Antonio, bought the Wii after noticing her children would rather play video games than ride bikes.

“At first I limited play time and forced them to be active,” she said. “It did not seem right, so I settled on a Wii. I purchased a Wii Fit for myself and my kids use it more than I do. It really gets their heart rates up.”

Though experts agree that any fitness is better than nothing, they aren’t so sure this is the answer.

Children should be outside interacting with other children, not playing video games in a musty basement, said Tony Sparber, who runs New Image Weight Loss Camps.

Considering children’s short attention spans, they might not find any of these expensive toys fun enough, said Cedric Bryant, the chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise. He recommends simple games such as Duck Duck Goose and Capture the Flag.

“In the ’50s and ’60s, kids were playing and they were playing outside,” he said. “We didn’t have all these concerns about overweight, out-of-shape kids.”

Youth fitness programs don’t come cheap; a Funfit membership is $60 a month without a family discount plan. A child-sized treadmill runs about $1,500, said Mr. Grim. A Gamercize unit is about $300.

Still, Cathie Soneja, 47, of Anaheim, Calif., said her 8-year- old son Nathan is usually the one reminding her that it’s time to go to Action Kids.

“When we first started, I wasn’t that fit. Then I started seeing that I was getting stronger,” Nathan said. “It makes me feel like a teenager or adult.”

Originally published by Associated Press.

(c) 2008 Augusta Chronicle, The. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.