Train Your Body, Challenge Your Brain: How Activate Brain & Body Combines Functional Fitness and Cognitive Training When most people think about exercise, they think about building strength, improving endurance, or getting in better shape. But what if your workout could also help prepare you for the physical and mental challenges of everyday life? That’s exactly the approach being taken…
What happens when exercise stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like something kids can’t wait to do? For many Boys & Girls Clubs, getting kids and teens excited about physical activity can be a daily challenge. Traditional workouts and fitness activities don’t always capture their attention, especially when competing with video games, smartphones, and other forms of entertainment.…
Year-end is one of the best times to add Exergaming to your space — and this year, the savings are even better. Schools, YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, parks and recreation programs, and fitness organizations can take advantage of special year-end pricing on select Exergame products and packages. With upcoming pricing changes, some equipment is also available at additional savings,…
When you are considering something new for your health, sometimes the most valuable perspective comes from the people who are already experiencing it. That is exactly what we wanted to hear from members of Activate Brain & Body: Would you recommend Activate to someone else? Their answers went far beyond simply enjoying a workout. Members talked about changes they have…
How Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama Is Using Exergaming to Reach One of the Hardest Age Groups to Engage Anyone who works with teenagers knows the challenge. As Pat Wynn, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama, puts it, teens can be a “tough nut to crack.” Their interests change quickly, traditional programming doesn’t always connect,…
For Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, schools, parks and recreation departments, and other youth-serving organizations, a major new funding conversation is beginning across the country. In August 2026, Meta reached a landmark multistate settlement resolving claims related to the impact of Facebook and Instagram on children and teenagers. The agreement is worth more than $17 billion and includes both financial…
For many kids, the biggest challenge with fitness isn’t ability — it’s interest. Traditional exercise doesn’t always connect with every child, especially when they’re used to experiences that are interactive, fast-moving, and built around play. That’s why organizations like the YMCA of Greater Birmingham are finding new ways to make movement feel more natural, exciting, and engaging. At YMCA Hoover,…
There is a phrase that perfectly describes what the Boys & Girls Club of Shelby County is trying to accomplish with its Exergame space: “Meeting the kids where they’re at.” Today’s kids have grown up with technology. Video games, smartphones, tablets, interactive entertainment, and digital experiences are simply part of their everyday lives. For youth organizations, that creates an interesting…
It’s not the time to use traditional exercises as a way to support mental and physical health in 2026 due to their inability to offer engagement. Active gaming in youth wellness programs is very interactive, and when mixed with movement, it introduces a new technology, ‘exergaming,’ which changes the whole scenario. From mental to physical, this is the most effective…
When we talk about getting kids more physically active, reducing sedentary screen time is often part of the conversation. But what if technology itself could become part of the solution? At Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama, an Exergaming space is showing how gaming and technology can be used differently—turning screen time into an opportunity for movement, communication, friendly…
The fitness industry has traditionally focused on visible measures of health: strength, endurance, flexibility, weight, and cardiovascular fitness. But as the population continues to age, the definition of fitness is beginning to expand. The future of healthy aging will not be limited to keeping the body strong. It will also include maintaining memory, attention, coordination, balance, reaction time, and the…
Technology is often viewed as something that competes with physical activity. At Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama, however, technology is being used to inspire movement. Through support from a Meta Data Center Community Action Grant, Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama was able to introduce a complete Exergaming room at one of its newer Club locations. The…
