Fitness is child's play

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Honey, they shrunk the gym.

See the pint-sized equipment, just right for working wee triceps and biceps. And watch for the pint-sized exercisers, scrambling through obstacle courses or scaling a rope A-frame.

Child's play is the order of the day here at the Family Total Health Club, one of two new kid fitness centers opening in the Top of Utah.

Toddlers to tweens have their own space to wiggle, climb and stretch at this Ogden center while their parents slog it out in the adult portion of the gym.

"They want to feel like 'I'm a big kid; I get to do what the big kids do,' " says owner Kellie Condie, who opened the health club with her husband Roger on July 7.

Gillian Olsen, 8, says she likes everything about the gym -- especially playing with the big-enough-to-crawl-through tunnels.

"It keeps them completely active, especially when it's summer and there's nothing to do," says Gillian's mother, Leslie Olsen, who also plans to bring her 11- and 12-year-old sons here.

The safe environment is a bonus, the Ogden mother says, with no worry about children "taking off out of your yard."

And, she adds, "If we're at home, my kids are on the computer; if we're here, they have to step away from all that."

Time out for fitness

The Family Total Health Club and My Gym, opening soon in Layton, are part of a national surge in kid fitness centers. Some are exclusively designed for children; others are part of a traditional gym setting, says Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise.

Soaring rates of childhood obesity and health issues like diabetes are prompting the interest, Bryant says in a phone interview from San Diego.

"The sooner we can get children to adopt a physically active lifestyle and develop those habits early in life, they'll be much more likely to sustain those as adults," he says.

Christine Jauchler, owner of Layton's My Gym, agrees.

"Our motto is 'We make fitness fun,' " she says. "(Children) don't usually know that they are getting fit because they are having fun."

My Gym, a California-based franchise that started in 1983, hosts a grand opening starting Sept. 5. The gym is geared for ages 6 months to 13 years and no adults are allowed, except when required to accompany kids to certain classes.

Older children pump it up with aerobic workouts, Jauchler says. Babies enjoy "tummy time" or do hand and foot movements to music, with a little help from Mom or Dad.

"It's all noncompetitive," says Jauchler. "We work to the child's ability."

Hop, skip, jump

From giant red hopper balls to old-fashioned hula hoops, the Family Total Health Club furnishes a child's paradise of playthings.

Obstacle courses are popular, as are wheeled scooter boards children sit on and move with their feet to play rolling basketball or hockey.

Another favorite is the rope A-frame where kids develop balance as well as problem-solving skills.

"Their minds are racing," Condie says, as they figure out how to climb across the rope matrix.

The child-size circuit set has 10 stations, each working a different muscle group. Condie says the hydraulic equipment adjusts to a child's resistance level.

The goal is strength training, she says, "not turning your kids into little body builders."

Every child has a workout plan and the gym has different areas for different ages. In the Child Development Room, children up to age 6 can crawl or climb on large soft blocks or dance to music.

"The floors are padded, so when they fall, it's safe," Condie says.

Building habits

Mother Tiffany Dabb is glad that being active is becoming routine for her children at an early age.

When Dabb works out at the Family Total Health Club, her four children are with her -- even her 6-week-old son.

The baby naps, but her other kids, ages 8, 6 and 5, enjoy activities such as hip-hop or cheering classes.

"Also, it motivates me to go because the kids are like, 'Can we go? Can we go?' " says Dabb, who hits the gym two or three times a week.

Archie and Irene Kelly sometimes bring their granddaughters along when they attend a seniors' exercise class. The climbing wall is a favorite with the 8- and 6-year-old.

"They didn't want to come home," says Archie Kelly, of Ogden.

At other gyms, April Worley said, her two children had to stay in the day-care center while she worked out.

"They used to say, 'It's kind of boring, Mom. All we do is color pictures,' " says the Ogden mother, who also teaches at the Family Total Health Club.

Healthy venting

Some parents join the health club just for their children's benefit, particularly if the kids have weight problems, Condie says.

The owner says she and her husband looked at child-only franchises before creating their own center focusing on families.

"We feel like parents are the best example to their children," the child development major says.

Besides fitness, Condie says, the health club emphasizes good nutrition and good social and emotional health. Children learn to set goals, build self-esteem and handle their emotions, she says.

"They're getting out all the stress and frustration and anger, and doing it in a fun way," says the owner, whose club may expand via franchising.

The only TV screen in the gym is a monitor that lets parents see what their children are doing in the other rooms. Otherwise, there are no videos or video games, Condie says.

"They get enough screen time at home -- they don't need it here," she says.

You won't find any "stroller potatoes," either. Car seats and walkers aren't permitted in the infant area, Condie explains. Instead, babies are on the floor with certified instructors who help them wave their arms, "bicycle" their legs or roll over.

"They don't get that (activity) when they're in seats," she says.

Off the couch

Some more traditional gyms in the Top of Utah also offer child-friendly programs.

At the Ogden Athletic Club, kids can do calisthenics, cardio workouts or yoga in fitness classes for first-graders up to junior high students, says Travis Dugger.

"The parents are starting to demand it," the South Ogden club manager says. "The parents want their kids off the couches and getting active."

Chantal Sattler says exercise videos are sometimes used in the child-care center at Crossroads Fitness in South Ogden.

"Obviously, we're a gym and we don't want them sitting in front of a video or a movie the whole time," the child-care director says.

Children's gyms won't ever reach as many kids as daily physical education classes in schools would, adds instructor Geri Conlin. And some parents might prefer to invest the cost of a gym membership in equipment that could be used at home by the whole family.

Together, "we could learn to play badminton and we could learn to throw a Frisbee," says Conlin, who teaches physical education instruction at Ogden's Weber State University.

Condie says parents sometimes ask, "Couldn't my kids do all this at home?"

"Yes," she says, but the question is, "Are you providing them the materials and the time to do these things with them?"

"It's too easy when you're at home," she says, "to sit and do something else."

GYMS FOR KIDS

Family Total Health Club

83 N. Harrisville Road, Ogden

Ages: 6 weeks to 12 years. Teenagers may use the adult gym.

Things to do: Supervised play in the Child Development Room, for ages 6 months to 6 years, and the Kids Club, for age 6 and up. Group classes in yoga, dance fitness, introductory martial arts. Specialty classes (for an extra fee) offered in tumbling, dance, martial arts.

Who goes: Parents must accompany children, with some exceptions. After-school programs, family nights and other programs also available.

Hours: Kids Club is open 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The Child Development Room is open 8 a.m.-noon and 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Cost: $49-$75 per month per family. Monthly membership for one person with no children is $29.

Information: 675-2512, www.familytotalhealthclub.com.

* * *

My Gym

1978 N. 1200 West, Layton

Ages: 6 weeks to 13 years.

Things to do: Classes offered by age groups, ranging from Little Bundles, for age 6 weeks to 6 months, to Cardio Kids, for age 7 and up. Types of instruction include motor skills, sports skills, gymnastics and yoga.

Who goes: Parents participate in classes with children age 3 and 3 months and younger; older children attend on their own.

Hours: Grand opening is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 5-7 and 11-13; closing time is 3 p.m. Sept. 7. Regular classes offered Monday-Saturday beginning Sept. 15.

Cost: $65 per child for four weeks; includes one class and three free-play visits per week. One-time registration fee, $75.

Information: 698-6628, www.my-gym.com

CHOOSING A GYM

A children's fitness center shouldn't be a carbon copy of an adult gym, says one fitness expert.

"You've got to be careful not to treat children like little miniature adults," says Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise.

Children, for example, won't warm up to 45-minute sessions on an elliptical machine like their parents do, Bryant says in a phone interview.

"Kids like more intermittent bursts of activity," he says, "and things with more of a game or play element to them."

Fitness centers can fill in the exercise gap for kids who often receive no physical education instruction at school or who aren't playing outside in the neighborhood, Bryant adds.

But Bryant, and Geri Conlin, who teaches physical education instruction at Weber State University, recommend parents ask some questions when selecting a workout center for the kids.

What credentials do the instructors have? Find out if class leaders have a degree in physical education or certification from a reputable fitness association, Conlin says.

Can I observe a class? Watch how the instructors interact with the children, Bryant says, and how the children interact with each other.

How clean and well-maintained is the facility? "Children are germ-laden and they share those germs readily," Conlin says, so look for and ask about cleanliness. Bryant also says to be sure all equipment is in working order, not tagged with "out of order" signs.

Does the staff have first-aid training? If children are being active, injuries are bound to happen, Conlin says.

Are activities developmentally appropriate for the children's age? Conlin says there is a big difference in the types of activities a 4-year-old and a 7-year-old can do.

Are the children properly supervised? Are instructors alert not only to the children's physical safety, Conlin says, but also to potential emotional issues, such as bullying by older children?

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