Show grown to more than 70 locations Another national kid fitness chain the Little Gym : repents doubling its enrollment over five yean I In classes starting with babies as young as 3 months who are “coached” by a parent to tumbling sessions fen the busk ness is fitness as fun “We do group activities but we’re noncompetitive Everybody wins” says Wade Smith who operates the Largo My Gym with his wife Jan “They’re building strength coorWe work dination and on listening skills They use their energy all in a fun atmosphere” he f nationwide ! self-estee- m said At the weekly class for 3 12-- to 4 1 bare- -' a half-dozfoot children form a circle on die mat with Wade Smith and instrucen tor Amanda Jankowski who brightly and loudly chats the students through the hourlong workout There are stretching exercises and die parachute run flips on uneven bars climbs up wooden rungs on a wall and headstands all accompanied by praise and attentive assistance Sandy Anthony’s two children both take classes at My Gym Stefan is in this session of Mighty Mites Sarah 2 takes a Gy ms ten class Four-year-o- ld “She was doing gymnastics This seemed a little more contained than' that It lets them explore it lets them do their own thins Anthony Each week’s activities are different Equipment is swapped and reconfigured “You go to the park 800 times and what more is there to do?” says Sue Entringer “This is something for her She feels like big stuff” Entringer brought daughter Katy e for a visit Katy bounces through the door then bounces in place She cannot wait to run across the cushioned room She gamely performs each activity skipping between stations Afterward her mother asks about enrollment Smith says My Gym’s structured classes keep Children moving “It gets kids away from their computers their Game Boys” For an older child who does not want to play team sports the workouts provide exercise and the boost in that comes from physical coordination and strength says Smith a pharmaceutical salesman who quit to work with his wife on ’ her new business Physical inactivity in children says Surgeon General David Satcher is a major epidemic in the United States “I think we made a serious error by not requiring phys first-tim- ce : ical education in grades K through 12 We are paying a tremendous price” in pain and lost productivity Satcher said in a 1998 report Elementary and middle schools typically offer one to three physical education classes per week surveys show In high school physical education enrollment drops from moire than 80 percent of e 45 and to girls boys percent and 39 percent respectively of according to a Surgeon General’s report During the past six years teenagers’ participation in physical ' education has dropped by almost half Meanwhile the percentage of overweight children and adolescents has doubled in the past 30 years More than 12 percent of young people ages 6 to 17 are seriously overweight according to a report on the nutrition and health of young people Being overweight as an adolescent has been found to be a predictor of adult obesity and its associated health risks of cardiovascular disease cancer dia-betes arthritis andother illnesses At the Largo location of My Gym Smith says they’ve designed a new class for 6- - to emphasizing aerobics done to the strains of pop music stgrs such as Aaron Carter Stations include step aerobics push-up- s against a wall 2002 28 March ninth-grad- 12th-grade- & rs Health a Herald The 5 Page Scripps Howard Photo of My Gym helps Spencer Wade Smith Whitten 4 with his hand stand during a class cO-ow- Care Close to Home rPN f-- y?M AW M: Qarr Crookston MS if Wfr i l At i rk "I- - - M Curtis AuDCCC Dr UT Audiology V Professional Staff ! i(ni U Kenneth Convenient Location ih SsieSiJ CCC Audiologist Owner ‘I ' Dave Robinson MS CCC Audiotogist Hearing aid service lab locally owned with 7 Utah Idaho locations Strong affiliation with local Medical Community Affordable 129 E 1400 N LOGAN f As low as FREE 753-71- 71 $895 each ConsuiMions Offer ends April 302002 Sl!fcf274T00TEtrAYJOf©44r030dZBRIGHAMl7232727j!rOGDEr:Jf6T2T6202ZBOCATEiTbT238-020- 6 & |