ENERGIZED KIDS - The Best Takeaway in Town!

Craig Heskett and Anita Graham - who both rate the health of today’s children as one of the most serious and challenging problems facing Australia - have called their program Energized Kids and designed it to travel virtually anywhere.

While it has a semi-permanent ‘home’ at the Croydon Leisure Centre, the interest being expressed by youth clubs and primary schools all over Melbourne is burgeoning.

Energized Kids comprises 10 purpose-built hydraulic units that closely resemble equipment found in an adult gym. The clever design allows each child to work to his or her own limit. The hydraulic cylinders provide resistance that the children can ‘adjust’ by the effort or speed they contribute when pushing or pulling with their arms, hands or legs.

Each piece of equipment (they are welded tubular steel, powder coated and scaled down for children) focuses on various parts of the body with the aim of boosting the child’s strength, speed, endurance, flexibility, cardiovascular capacity and even their self esteem.

The program run by Craig and Anita is partly guided by the physical activity needs identified within the State Government’s curriculum standards framework.

They also provide a catalyst - it’s called Fun. The two instructors make sure of this with hoppy balls, bean bags, hula hoops, jump ropes and steps which all form part of this junior gym circuit. With the fast humor (but ordered discipline) of the instructors and, of course, the boppin’ music for vibes and rhythm, the kids could be forgiven for thinking that the Wiggles might come bouncing into the arena at any moment.

One of the attractions of the program is the level playing field approach. No child is fat, thin, sporty, slow, fast or lazy. They are divided into 5-9 year and 9-12 year groups, each based around appropriate themes. All find their own comfortable pace. Stigmas are non-existent, shapes and sizes irrelevant and self-esteem is preserved and even built. Within minutes after warm up, calories are burning, muscles are stretching, hearts are pumping, sweat is mounting, blood is rushing and bodies are saying: "YES!"

The concept has been launched at a time when health researchers all over the world are rolling out compelling evidence that reveals damning links between sedentary behavior/junk food and health scourges such as Diabetes 2 (also known as adult-onset diabetes), heart disease, orthopedic problems, pancreatitis, liver disease, reflux, gallstones and asthma – and more. While the medical profession is worried from a clinical viewpoint, Governments are deeply concerned about the multi-million dollar cost burden to the country by 2020.

The prognosis is troubling for both Australians and Australia. In a call to action at a diabetes seminar in Canberra recently the Governor-General, Major-General Michael Jeffrey, said it was time to stop a generation of inactive children from getting fat and developing diabetes.

His words were echoed at the same meeting by Mr Ian Grainger, CEO of Fitness Australia, who said inactivity was becoming a national disaster with more than 1.5 million Australian children under the age of 18 categorised as being obese or overweight.

Victorian Government health experts predict that 50 per cent of young Australians will be overweight or obese by 2020.

Both Anita Graham and Craig Heskett are passionate about their quest to make a positive contribution to the health of young Australians. Anita, a nurse who trained at the Alfred Hospital and Royal Children’s Hospital and completed her Bachelor of Nursing at Monash University, says the "portability" of Energized Kids makes it an attractive alternative for parents, schools and youth clubs "anywhere and everywhere".

"Sadly, this is a totally different environment to the one that we grew up in," says the energetic mother of two. "Society has contributed to the epidemic of sedentary lifestyles of children. For example, it is often no longer deemed safe for children to go outside and play, walk or ride to school. Children tend to stay indoors more and watch TV."

"Frenetic lifestyles of both parents having to work in order to pay the mortgage and education bills, lead to an increase in the hours children spend at school. It is often easier for parents to go about their jobs at home after a busy day at work with the children quietly occupied by video games and TV and so on.

"Add to this the huge marketing campaigns by fast food companies, the cable TV juggernauts and the video and movie industries and the consequences should not be too surprising – we see some kids who can barely make one lap around the oval. It’s a shame that the takeaway and fast food chains target their human markets as young as two years of age with slick advertising, toys given away with meals and party rooms. But I sense that people are becoming more aware every day of the spin."

Anita has spent hours, not just taking classes but also closely watching children using Energized Kids. She believes that their positive responses can be attributed to their being able to participate regardless of their level of skill, fitness or strength.

"They see the whole program as fun…something a little different …and they feel like they are doing something "adult like", very similar to mum and dad at the gym. I also like the fact that we can incorporate an aspect of educating the children about the musculoskeletal system, because each machine targets a different muscle group," she says. "The effectiveness is reflected in the children’s happiness and moods."

Craig, a gymnasium manager, personal trainer and father of two young boys, agrees. Having grown up on a daily diet of sport (his father was vice-captain of Australia’s 1956 Olympic basketball team, a gymnasium instructor and spent 45 years as one of the country’s top tennis coaches) he harbors concerns for the next generation of Australians unless there is a general attitude shift at government and grassroots levels.

"There is so much emphasis on academic excellence today," he says. "Teachers are under pressure to provide programs for the kids and unless there is a fulltime PE teacher it does not become a priority. In many cases there is an unfair expectation on teachers to do everything. It’s a Catch-22 because there is only a certain amount of money to be spread through the education system."

Craig and Anita are concentrating on finding solutions rather than apportioning blame for children’s declining levels of activity (although they are less than flattering in their comments about the commercial powerhouses that lure youngsters to fast food and computer games).

The two friends stumbled on the idea when reading literature about the US built gym equipment at the Croydon Leisure Centre late last year. Realising that an opportunity was beckoning to "take the gym to the kids" and make it easier for parents to manage their children’s fitness, they had a complete set shipped from the States.

"We just hope that we have created something that addresses these crucial population health issues," says Craig. "We know that parents are extremely busy and we understand the demands on teachers to deliver more and more. That’s why we have planned Energized Kids to be totally mobile. The kids love having a gym just like mum and dad’s. We feel we are starting to make inroads…starting to make a difference. And if we do, that’s good for the kids and good for Australia!"

Round-the-world sailor Jesse Martin shares the views of Anita and Craig. Jesse has devoted a large part of his life to encouraging young people to be healthy and active and reaching their full potential. He sees children’s fitness as being of paramount importance and crucial to the future of Australia.

"Kids today are tomorrow’s generation - our country’s next workforce," he says. "Energized Kids fills a gap and sets an example. Anything that tackles the spectre of obesity, diabetes and heart disease and is safe and fun as well will pay dividends for everyone – but most of all the kids themselves."

(Jesse Martin became an international hero in 1999 when, aged 17, he sailed back into Sandringham Yacht Club, becoming the youngest person to sail unassisted around the world. He wrote Lionheart, a Journey of the Human Spirit about his sometimes terrifying solo adventure. His second book, Kijana has just been published.)

"It doesn’t matter if kids have their heart set on sailing around the world or on just being fit and healthy," says Jesse. "If we can get them in the fitness groove at primary school age the whole country eventually benefits and this junior gym concept definitely has a part to play.

"Being fit prepares you for life at any age – whether you are battling wild storms in a little yacht in the South Atlantic or simply doing your own thing at home. I spend my life following my heart - but, hey, you’ve got to make sure your heart is in tip-top shape don’t you!"