Ever wish your kids would put down their video game, go outside and get some exercise?

St. John’s Fitness Center offers a new program that combines the fun of video gaming with the benefit of cardiovascular exercise.
A special stationary bike called a Cateye Game Bike at the fitness center offers plug-and-play technology for Sony Playstation and Playstation 2 consoles. The bike works with any of the speed-related games that are popular today, including many car, off-road, speedboat and motorcycle racing games. The fitness center has an off-road ATV-racing game and a speedboat-racing game.

The Playstation interactivity, which is just one component of the fitness center’s new 12-week Family Fitness program, is a way for parents to get their children interested in exercise, says Fitness Instructor Amy Little.

“The Family Fitness program, which is free to members, educates the entire family about nutrition and exercise. Studies have shown that to beat the childhood obesity epidemic, an entire family – not just the kids –  must eat sensibly and exercise, preferably together,” Little says. “We require at least one parent to participate each session.”

It’s not surprising that childhood obesity is a growing problem.

“Missouri is the 10th most obese state in America,” says St. John’s pediatrician Michael Goler, M.D. “What is so disturbing about the childhood obesity problem is that if it isn’t tackled, this generation of children may be the first in history to not live a longer life span than their parents. The Family Fitness program is just one way that St. John’s is working to combat this health problem. We believe that people have a tough time making changes to their lifestyle on their own and that’s why we are encouraging them to make these changes as families.”

St. John’s Family Fitness Program

• Nutrition Topics
  “What Determines My Body Size & Shape?,”
  Evaluation of Current Eating Habits,
  Meal Planning, Serving Sizes, Smart Snacking
  Beverage Choices, Eating Out, “Why Am I Eating” – Coping With Stress & Emotions
   
• Exercise Topics
  Dynabands, Hand Weights, Stretching, Abs and Low Back, Sit-ups and Push-ups, Exer-balls, Stationary Bike (Playstation interactivity), Nu-Step, Treadmills, Rowing Machines, TaeKwondo, Yoga, Tai Chi

DID YOU KNOW?

More than 15 percent of children ages 6-19 are considered overweight.

“Today’s kids are of the ‘super sized’ generation, in terms of how frequently they eat fast food and how big the portions are now. This generation of children is also very into computers and video games. When they get home from school, they are often more likely to instant-message each other on the computer or play a video game than go outside and play,” Little says.