The RiverPlex Launches Exergaming Room for Kids Designed by Exergame Fitness USA - Peoria, IL

An all-new state of the art Exergame Fitness facility has now opened at the RiverPlex Recreation and Wellness Center in Peoria, Illinois complete with the world’s top tested and medically proven exergaming products.

Kids, teens and adults from the Peoria area now have an exciting new exergaming room that delivers programs that combine fitness and gaming to achieve much needed results in their community.

RiverPlex General Manager, Matt Freeman said:

“Our objective with our Exergame Fitness Zone is to get kids up and moving in a fun, safe and positive environment. The exergaming products we have also give us the ability to offer our Senior Members a new exercise option that not only challenges their cardiovascular fitness, strength and balance, but eye/hand coordination and brain function.

Our Senior Members appreciate the socialization the Exergame Fitness Zone offers as well. We have implemented a clinical research study which is focused on weight loss for kids ages 8-17 years old. Each child has been referred to the program by a physician. Parental participation in the program is mandatory in order to achieve a long term change in eating habits, behavior and physical activity. The program is run by Dr. Amy Christenson who represents the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

read full press release here

Supersized P.E.: Ten Tips to Help Overweight Kids Get Healthy

SDSU professor teaches physical education to help overweight students reach their fitness goals

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Bags of Halloween candy are piled high in the grocery stores this week, providing a dangerous temptation for those battling obesity. For the parents of overweight children, getting their children to understand the dangers of overindulging after trick-or-treating can be even more difficult.



San Diego State University Exercise and Nutritional Sciences professor David Kahan, offers ten ways to help parents -- and teachers -- get overweight kids back on track, not just after Halloween, but for the rest of their life, in his new book "Supersized P.E."

"Being physically active every day is especially crucial for children struggling with weight issues," said Kahan, a physical education teacher and researcher. "Overweight and obese youth carry social, psychological and emotional burdens that often lead to anger, despair and ultimately, a sedentary lifestyle. Our goal is to help youth love physical activity."

Exergame Fitness is the world’s largest distributor & service provider of Exergaming and kids fitness products. They provide Facility Planning & Installation, Grant & Funding Assistance, Program Design & Product Training, Turnkey Marketing Support, Free Layout Designs & Concepts, Detailed Programming Curriculums, Financing Options and more. They offer the lowest prices on any of the products they carry backed by their 110% Lowest Price Guarantee.


Supersized P.E. is designed to help parents, physical educators and leaders of physical activity programs to better understand the physical, emotional and psychological issues that reduce the overweight child's quality of life and help them learn how to be physically active for a lifetime. The book's recommendations include:

1) Set an Example: Be a good role model of overall wellness.

2) Emphasize a Child's Strengths: If it's something they enjoy or are good
at, they are much more likely to do it.

3) Foster a Positive Atmosphere that feels safe and inviting, is free of
sarcasm, insults and harassment and be a consistent source of comfort
and encouragement.

4) Focus on Behaviors, Not Outcomes: Help them control behaviors and focus
on how to change, not the results of changing.

5) Face the Facts: Denial is dangerous. Parents and teachers need to
acknowledge when a student seems to be gaining weight or is overweight.

6) Develop a Social Support Network: Find a social niche where an
overweight child is with others who share the same positive attitudes
toward physical activity and health or at least support the child's
needs and intentions.

7) Avoid the Spotlight: Overweight children should not be placed in
situations in which their physical performance is on display for all to
see and critique. It is better to offer physical activity settings in
which the overweight child can blend in and work at his or her own
pace/level.

8) Get a Doctor's Advice: Physical education programs that report a
child's body mass index (BMI) may inadvertently trigger parental
overreaction and undue stress on an overweight child. Parents should
consider having their overweight child assessed by his or her
pediatrician before undertaking an intervention.

9) Nutrition is Key: Educate young people how to make smart food choices.
Teach overweight children about serving sizes, how to select low-fat
snacks and how to recognize when they are full.

10) Reduce Screen Time: The numbers tell the story, during the average
3.47 daily hours a 100-pound child spends engaged in screen-based
media (t.v., computer, video games) he or she burns 166 calories,
contrasted with swimming (666), walking the dog briskly (687), playing
half-court basketball (937), hiking (957), etc.


Kahan said another crucial part of addressing this major societal issue is for parents to actively petition local schools to take a larger role in helping students meet fitness goals.

"That is why it is critically important for all parents to demand their children participate in quality physical education and physical activity programs, and get a minimum of 60 minutes of daily physical activity."

Kahan said the challenge is much greater than how to lose weight, but rather, how to help youth balance nutrition and daily physical activity.

Kahan also runs SDSU's Hardy Elementary School P.E. program, which brings SDSU students studying to become physical education teachers onto the playground to interact and help young students meet their physical fitness goals.

"Teaching this increasingly prevalent population can be a joy as well as a challenge," Kahan said. "For teachers to really help address the obesity problem they must understand what life is like for an overweight student and how they can create a positive attitude about physical activity."

Kahan said it is important that teachers, coaches, school nutrition directors, nurses, administrators, parents and community leaders all work in a coordinated effort to put good health and well-being as a top, lifelong priority for today's children and youth.

"Supersized P.E.: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Teaching Overweight Students," coauthored by Josh Trout, professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Chico, is available through the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE).

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 81 areas, master's degrees in 74 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU's more than 34,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit http://www.sdsu.edu.

Contact:
Gina Speciale, Media Relations Manager
SDSU Marketing & Communications
(619) 594-4563 office; (619) 813-3581 cell
speciale@mail.sdsu.edu

Greg Block
SDSU Marketing & Communications
(619) 594-2176 office; (619) 849-9645 cell
gblock@mail.sdsu.edu

SOURCE San Diego State University

About Exergame Fitness
Exergame Fitness – a Motion Fitness Company is the world’s largest distributor & supplier of Exergaming, Exerlearning, Kids Fitness Products & Programming to YMCA’s, Schools, JCC’s. Park Districts, Health Clubs, Hospitals, Kid Zones, Family Entertainment Centers, Casinos, Government/VA and more.
Exergame Fitness provides Facility Planning & Installation, Grant & Funding Assistance, Program Design & Product Training, Turnkey Marketing Support, Free Layout Designs & Concepts, Detailed Programming Curriculums, Finance & Lease Options and more. Exergame Fitness offers the lowest prices on any of the products they carry backed by a 110% Lowest Price Guarantee.

# # #

Wellness tips for millennials

Posted April 24, 2008 11:27AM

Psssst -- millennials are slowly taking over the world. They are the largest generation since the baby boomers.

They're those under-30, tech-savvy, multi-tasking people who are less likely to see themselves susceptible to the accumulative effects of America's (including their own) unhealthy life style behaviors.

While no general characterization can appropriately describe a whole generation, each generation is shaped in part by the world events and popular cultures in which it was raised. Facts to help you understand millennials:

• They've never known life without the Internet, cable TV and cell phones.

• They were raised in times of terror in the world (Operation Desert Storm), in their country (9/11) and in their schools (Columbine).

• Starbucks and iPods are a part of everyday vocabulary.

• They bring a playful approach to work and yet are seeking work that is engaging and where they can make a difference.

• Their video- and media-fed lives lead them to seek flexibility and quick gratification. Think incentives and rewards.

At this stage of their lives, most millennials don't spend much time thinking about health. Your challenge is to promote wellness without nagging (it never works) and without making it sound like work.

Fit in fitness

Almost 40 percent of millennials exercise at least three times a week, according to a survey done by Ketchum, a public relations firm. The same survey tells us that maintaining a healthy weight is important for almost half of all millennials surveyed.

But don't overlook the other 50 to 60 percent who aren't at the gym regularly. With obesity, diabetes and other health issues all on the rise among millennials, too, try to get them involved in improving their health early.

Offer lots of choices at your company fitness center. Realize that aerobics probably isn't this generation's "thing." They're more likely to relate to the Nintendo Wii sport games - also called "Exergaming" or "Exertainment" - or other exercise-related software.

Exergaming is the newest trend of kids fitness which combines gaming and fitness rolled into one. One of the leaders in this fight is an American company based out of Illinois called Exergame Fitness. Exergame Fitness supplies the majority of the YMCA's with equipment for their kids fitness centers that help the ever growing obesity epidemic.

Consider bringing in an expert: kickboxing, yoga or Pilates are popular with this crowd. And make classes convenient - before and after work, at lunchtime and on weekends.

Wow 'em with the Web

You'll also attract millennials to wellness through webinars and podcasts on topics relevant to them. Often, a significant event drives their interests - their mother had diabetes, for example, or Grandma had breast cancer. A webinar on ways to avoid adult-onset diabetes is a great way to spark their engagement.

Podcasts are another terrific way to entice millennials to exercise. You can download workouts and/or workout music from the Internet - and some are even free.

Millennials also love interactivity, so online health assessments or keeping a wellness blog can be an easy "sell" to this generation.
Prod 'em with prizes

Especially with this demographic group, prizes are a great incentive to adopt healthy life style habits.

Cash rewards are a proven attraction - for taking a health risk assessment, for example, or getting a physical exam on schedule for preventive care.

And watch what happens to your attendance numbers when an iPod with a few free music downloads is the prize for visiting the fitness center three days a week for six months.

Feed their enthusiasm

Another way to promote wellness is through your food-service program. Remember, millennials have grown up with parents who read labels and buy organic vegetables.

Your company dining room should follow suit. Consider posting nutritional and caloric information, and offer a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Don't forget to include mom-inspired healthy comfort food, such as mac-and-cheese made with low-fat cheese and whole-grain pasta.

Millennials also love snacks - sometimes more than full meals. Stock vending machines with healthy treats: fruit and juices, low-fat microwave popcorn, nuts and 100-calorie packs of cookies and salty snacks. These will stoke 20-somethings with quick energy.

Make vending-machine selection easy by color coding or highlighting the healthier choice options.

As they age, millennials will be as concerned as the rest of us with staying healthy. Getting them started early on improving their health can be an important part of their employee development.

They just need to be pointed in the right direction, given the right (high-tech) tools, and provided with positive coaching and incentives.