Children are choosing to play digital games for hours during their leisure time. On an average day, children as young as eight spend as many hours engaged in media activity as they spend in school; three-quarters of American children play computer and video games. Despite their reputation as promoters of violence and mayhem, digital games have in fact been shown…
Each kid is unique. Some like to exercise, while some are reluctant to participate at all. They feel uncomfortable when exercising with kids that are either taller, stronger, and in a different age group as them. As parents, educators, and fitness professionals, we know the ultimate goal is for kids to be fit and have fun. To prevent children…
HUNTINGTON — “It’s awesome — really cool and you get an awesome workout.” That’s how 8-year-old Ryan Woodward, a student at Our Lady of Fatima School, described the new fitness equipment designed just for kids at the Huntington YMCA. The Y, along with Cabell Huntington Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and Cabell County…
Where will the fitness industry be in 20 years? Will people still walk inside the doors of a building to run on a treadmill, take a group cycling class or participate in small group training? Or will the industry look much different with programs outside of clubs? Will the Exercise is Medicine campaign take off to the point where every…
Balance is an essential component of movement and is critical in the ability to participate in physical activity. Developing an exergaming curriculum for schools has the potential to improve balance or postural stability in children. In this study, a purposely-built exergaming center in an elementary school was used to test fourth grade students with a specially designed exergaming curriculum oriented…
Exerfit Family Fitness, located in Baton Rouge, La. offers fun and dynamic exercise programs designed for each family member. Their focus is to provide a well-rounded motivating experience that encourages, challenges and ultimately develops the physical, social and developmental person. Last spring, they knew that in order to excite and move kids they needed to find new and unique interactive…
Exercise turns brains on and improves the ability to think, learn, and perform, says John J. Ratey, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. But in this ever-changing world of technology, kids are not moving. Parents and educators want kids to succeed academically in schools, but it’s no good when their brains are turned off. With the downward…
Early Wednesday morning, a big smile covered 12-year-old Ahmed Mohamed’s face as he yelled, “this is fun!” On its own, that statement may not be much of a surprise. That is, at least, until you consider this: Ahmed was having a blast… at school. “I be like, yeah, I’m going to come to school every day,” he continued from inside the “exergaming lab” at theAnne Sullivan School in Minneapolis. As Ahmed’s teacher, Amy Strickland Johnson,…
When your town has one of the highest childhood obesity ratings in the country, what do you do? You get moving…and so do those kids! This is a story of a small town, and two hospital’s and a YMCA all on the same mission. Success Stories: Huntington YMCA, Huntington West Virginia In August of 2008, the CDC released a report…
Sometimes reputations are deserved. Sometimes reputations can disguise what’s really happening in an organization. In this case, we’re talking about a school that has been burdened with the reputation of a significant portion of its students being difficult to manage and, thus, difficult to educate. In this case,the data actually legitimizes the reputation. With regard to the school being referenced,…
Last month, thousands of YMCA professionals gathered together in downtown Philadelphia for the 2013 YMCA General Assembly ( and a Philly cheesesteak or two). This year Exergame Fitness hosted the Exergame MOVchallenge, where the attendees wore an activity tracking device (called a MOVband) on their wrist throughout the entire show in order to collect data on their level of…
The RACINE FAMILY YMCA has been serving all of Racine County Wisconsin for more than 136 years. In which it has has provided safe and caring environments, positive role models, creative activities, and opportunities to serve the community. Through these leading innovative efforts, Racine YMCA has been building strong kids, strong families, and stronger communities. As part of their continued…
