Springfield’s Downtown YMCA is preparing a new exercise room that incorporates technology instead of competing with it for kids’ attention. The new space blurs the line between mere exercise and actual fun.
On April 27, the Downtown YMCA began converting one of its racquetball courts into a Youth Fitness Center, featuring interactive games that build stamina and test reflexes. The games are driven by computers, targeting different skills like reaction time, speed and hand-eye coordination.
Elena Holler, health and wellness director at the Downtown YMCA, says it makes sense to combine fitness with technology when focusing on child health.
“Anything that lights up draws them in,” Holler said. “They get hooked while jumping and doing squats and lifting weights. Meanwhile, it’s teaching them that they can have fun and play games, and that still gets you exercise.”
She says the room will target children from ages 8 to 13 – around the age when kids want to start using the adult equipment for which they may not be big enough.
“Instead of turning them away, we’re going to be introducing them to this equipment,” she said.
The project is funded by an $80,000 grant from BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois. Exergame Fitness, based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, is providing the equipment and design of the room.
Parker Johnson, relationships manager for Exergame, says the company has worked with somewhere between 50 and 100 YMCAs around the country installing similar rooms. The one at the Downtown YMCA in Springfield is due to open in June.
Johnson says the games are meant to merge the fitness world with the world of ever-present mobile devices.
“We try to meet them halfway,” Johnson said, referring to children who have grown up with constant access to digital screens. “You’re going to play videogames with your friends, but you’re going to exercise while you do. Most of the time, the kids don’t even realize they’re exercising.”
One game which will appear at the Downtown YMCA is called Heavy Ball. It involves six large tubes with lights, one or more weighted balls and a control console. The players must drop their ball through whichever tube is lit up, then grab the ball from the bottom of the tube and run to the next tube lit at random. It can be played by one player at a time, as well as in a competitive or cooperative format.
In the 3 Kick game, between one and three players stand in front of foam columns with lights. As the top, middle or bottom light on each column lights up, players punch or kick the light to score points.
The JumpQ game involves a player jumping from the floor to one of five platforms of various heights. The platforms light up at random, and the player earns points based on how quickly they react to the light.
Another game, the tWall, features a large wall with several round lights. The players must quickly stoop or stretch to turn off a light by tapping it, which causes another light to turn on at random. For more of a challenge, players can hold weights while tapping the lights.
Johnson says markings on the floor of the Youth Fitness Center will offer visual cues for additional activities that don’t require special equipment.
“If you go into any parking lot and there are no spaces marked, everyone will park wherever they want,” Johnson joked.
The Downtown Y’s new space also incorporates an activity tracking component, which Johnson says will function similar to the popular wearable fitness device Fitbit. Kids can wear a wrist monitor to record their activities and earn rewards. Johnson compares it to a martial arts program in which a person can “level up” to different belts.
Holler says the Youth Fitness Center won’t be just for kids. During times when kids aren’t around, the YMCA’s personal trainers will use it for clients, and Holler says the equipment has shown promise for aging populations.
Johnson says the advent of videogame-based fitness systems like Nintendo’s Wii Fit was both good and bad.
“They helped familiarize people with playing videogames for activity,” he said. “But pretty soon, kids figured out that they could lie on the couch and still play the same games. Our goal is to use the equipment for a higher volume of exercise. You’re not just swinging your wrist back and forth. You’re going to be running and jumping.”
Contact Patrick Yeagle at pyeagle@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in May 5-11, 2016.
