Gym kids

The perfect symbiosis between a fit body and an alert mind is not merely one of the buzz slogans in today's childcare. There is a growing corpus of medical research to prove it.

It was a question of sooner rather than later that a bunch of business movers would trailblase gyms for kids. The time is right because obesity among children and teens is the modern plague. Sedentary lifestyles, laziness, ignorance, poverty, deceitful labelling on foodstuffs and disgraceful advertising are all major culprits which are putting our children's health at risk and setting them on the road to diabetes, hypertension, strokes, cardiac disease and certain types of cancers.

Indeed flab is a political and social issue for it is already denting the public purse and fast becoming the signature of the underclass. At the same time affluent families, who are more likely to spend on organic food and fitness classes, are inspiring private and state backed programmes to get kids of all ages to exercise. Take hip New Yorkers who are flocking the one-stop café, indoor salon, spa and playground, meaning the mums get pampered while the kids play, unless they want to sweat it out too. LA being LA touts a Rock, Roll & Stroll Triathlon for tots as an annual event. And what about the phenomenal success of Reebok Traxter billed as the world's first "smart shoe" for young children?

Closer home the British government launched the Sure Start Scheme in December 2003 to goad tots to stretch, grasp, crawl, sit up, balance, rock and roll. It is the kind of workout that years back little ones used to do without a second's thought as they would crawl under the table, reach out for anything that hooked their attention and play to their hearts' content in the garden - simultaneously whetting their curiosity and joggling their brains.

Of course, apartments don't have gardens, plus baby walkers, bouncers and specially designed chairs have been restricting movements of tots long before they began to binge on the box, while gulping fizzy drinks and fast food - the junk that is laden with sugars and fats. All this prior to getting wired to the computer and the internet.

But how do you get hot-housed offspring moving in the first place? While the age factor determines the type and extent of exercise, the trick is to harness children's short attention span and make it fun - meaning short burst of activities that are constantly changing plus tapping on dance, yoga and martial arts. Some physical trainers also have the good sense to encourage children to get their favourite CDs. Therefore, workouts for kids are not simply a mini-version of adults pumping iron and doing the treadmill. Varying movements and avoiding a repetitive repertoire also prevents exerting too much pressure on growing bones and joints.

Another winning ticket is to praise everyone irrespective of their performance. While young bodies gain in suppleness, moderate exercise strengthens children's hearts and lungs as well as boosts coordination and improves motor skills. Anxious that going to the gym is taxing the kids' stamina? Think of when they are playing football, tennis, squash, jogging or running. Besides, there are quite a few children who loathe traditional sports and are made to feel misfits on a playground. This agony disappears in a gym since the exercise routine and entire atmosphere is so different. Which is why so many preteens and adolescents are happy to join a gym, though the pubescent are also spurred on by the quest for sculpted physiques.

The inundation of images of toned and trim bodies is bound to be influencing children. There must also be quite a number who are parent-driven though it seems that most don't end up needing a push. Of course it is harmful to force a child who is dead set against going to a gym. It is equally bad for them (and the parents) to feel guilty if they miss out on a few sessions.

"Wriggle your toes, crawl like a cat, now lie down and stretch out flat" is also ringing out as gyms for tots and kids begin to mushroom here too. City-sleek urbanites are showing us how to give the kids a flying start.