Exergame Fitness Canada

DARTMOUTH, NS – Canadian kids received yet another failing grade in the annual Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card:  90% of Canadian youth are not getting the necessary amount of exercise a day.  This does not come as a surprise to Holly Bond and Liz Thompson.  They have witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of too much screen time and not enough playtime.

The former founders of Bulldog Interactive Fitness, the first interactive fitness facility for youth, Holly and Liz have just inked a deal to become the Canadian Distributor for Exergame Fitness. (www.exergamefitness.ca)  With the ever-increasing gloomy reports like the one released this week, this dynamic duo is more determined than ever to convey the importance of physical fitness and activity that includes every child, not just the elite athlete.  With years of experience in the Exergaming world, they will continue to work diligently at promoting this positive way of battling childhood obesity and inactivity to schools, community groups, hospitals and fitness clubs across Canada. 

In 2005 Holly Bond opened Bulldog Interactive Fitness, the first interactive fitness facility designed exclusively for youth.  Shortly thereafter, Liz Thompson jumped on board.  Together they opened interactive fitness facilities for youth across Canada.  These energetic partners have been working non-stop ever since, educating kids, teachers, parents and community leaders about the need to be more active.    

After selling Bulldog in 2008, Holly and Liz are thrilled to join forces once again, representing Exergame Fitness Canada:  “We have seen hundreds of children benefit from Exergaming equipment and programming that combines Exergaming and old-fashioned fun and games.”  Liz states.  “Children are very comfortable in this familiar environment – the video games act as a ‘hook’ to get them in the door and moving in the right direction towards exercise and activity.  Once kids take that first, familiar step, it is then a perfect time to introduce traditional games and sports – we have seen how they develop a new level of fitness and self-esteem.” agrees Holly.

Tommy Seilheimer, Vice President of Exergame Fitness says, “Holly and Liz’s years of actual hands-on experience is invaluable; I mean, they have done it all – from the layout and design to choosing and training the best staff to building programs and camps around the Exergaming equipment.  We are excited to partner with them in our crusade against childhood obesity and inactivity.”  

Holly Bond and Liz Thompson can be reached by visiting their website:  www.exergamefitness.ca

Jack Matthews,9 playes playes active video games at Bulldog Fitness

Lauren La Rose
Toronto — Canadian Press, Tuesday, Jun. 02, 2009 08:44AM EDT

Canadian kids continue to spend too much time glued to TVs, computers and video games and not enough being physically active, with the vast majority failing to meet recommended guidelines for daily physical activity, according to a report released today.

In its annual report card on physical activity for children and youth, Active Healthy Kids Canada assigned a failing grade for physical activity levels among Canadian youngsters.

In 2008, 87 per cent of children and youth did not get the recommended minimum of 90 minutes of physical activity a day.

Despite the large proportion of children not meeting the guidelines, it’s still an improvement compared to 2006, when 91 per cent of kids weren’t reaching the target, said Mark Tremblay, chief scientific officer with Active Healthy Kids Canada.

“I think we need to recognize that these social norms do not move or change quickly, and what we do demonstrate in this year’s report card is some evidence that perhaps we are approaching or have reached the tipping point,” he said from Ottawa.

“We are seeing at least directional improvement, albeit we’ve got a long way to go.”

The report card also assigned an “F” for screen time, with just 10 per cent of Canadian youth meeting the guideline of spending less than two hours a day in front of computers, video games and TVs. Many kids were getting in close to six hours a day.

“Part of the reason that screen time is such an issue is because it’s a babysitter, it’s… ‘Keep your kid inside so you know where they are,”’ said Nancy Francis, associate professor in the department of physical education and kinesiology at Brock University.

The report said there is the possibility for typically sedentary screen time to become active time through active gaming, for instance by using something like Nintendo’s Wii Fit.

“If they’re replacing someone sitting idle watching TV or playing a video game that requires no movement, that’s an improvement,” Mr. Tremblay said. “People need to be very careful that this is not a replacement for real activities, real sport engagement, real outdoor activities which burn many more calories, (and) have far greater impact on motor skill development and social interaction.”

Beyond regulating screen time, parents can encourage kids to be physically active by making it a family affair, said Kelly Murumets, president and CEO of ParticipAction.

“Rather than jump on the couch so the family time is watching television together, we’d say just schedule time in and perhaps before dinner or right after dinner and have a little bit of family time that’s physically active.”

In encouraging physical activity, Ms. Francis said it’s important to bear in mind engaging creative or artistic children who may be less inclined to take part in rough-and-tumble team sports. She suggested dance for kids as a possible option.

“We need in our physical education programs to cater to every child — not just the kids who are happy pushing one another around to fight over the soccer ball,” she said.

Stepped-up physical activity levels may yield benefits beyond just a slimmer waistline — there’s evidence that it also can bolster academic performance.

Canadian and international research supports the fact active kids perform better in the classroom and get better grades, Mr. Tremblay said.

For example, Ontario children who participated in a school health initiative where physical activity was a key element showed a 36 per cent increase in reading and a 24 per cent increase in math scores over a two-year period.

Research also shows that sacrificing some curricular time for more physical education or activity proves to have no negative consequences to core academic subjects, Mr. Tremblay added.

He said it will take a comprehensive multi-level effort involving parents, schools, communities and governments to effect real change. One of the key target areas is after school, which tends to be a high screen time period for children, he said.

“We really think that that window of opportunity when school ends but before dinner for most families is an opportunity where communities, schools, different program groups … can get together to figure out how they can engage kids primarily in the outdoors doing physical activity instead of rushing home to sit in front of a screen and wiggling their fingers to spend the time before they have supper.”