Children’s activity center in Harrisville nurtures healthy habits, fun fitness
As people lead busier lifestyles, the concept of regular exercise is usually lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life.
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Marie Walkow is looking to change that perception from the ground up by introducing children to healthy lifestyles and exercise at a younger age. In January, she opened the Cize Me Up Kidz children’s activity center in Harrisville for children ages 3 to 14.
Walkow said she is responding to the public outcry against childhood obesity and the sedentary lifestyle that has become all too common. The center is long in coming, she said.
“The goal is to put a fun spin on the introduction of fitness and mold their beliefs and values to exercise rather than avoid it,” she said.
It is the only children’s activity center in the state to use new hydraulic exercise equipment, she said.
The state-of-the-art equipment is safe for children because it is based on their own resistance and does not put stress or strain on the muscles, she said. The more energy and effort that the kids put in, the more they will get out of the exercise.
Sessions meet for between 45 minutes and an hour two or three times per week. The center is equipped with a rock wall, 10 different pieces of the hydraulic equipment and bikes linked to PlayStation 2 games.
Each program is broken into three parts. The children start with a warm-up game, followed by 25 minutes dedicated to the hydraulic circuit in 45-second repetitions followed by a cool-down activity. Kids can then enjoy group games and all participants receive a prize at the completion of the program.
The 32-foot (horizontal) rock wall provides a unique problem-solving effort for the kids, said Walkow, because they have to plan their movement to maneuver themselves successfully.
“They absolutely love it,” said Walkow.
The reason to start children exercising at a young age, she said, is to make fitness a regular part of their life.
“It’s like brushing your teeth,” she said. “They know they have to do it.”
Three employees work at the center and help personalize the exercise program for each participant, said Walkow. There is also a nutritionist who provides informational seminars for the parents. There needs to be a balance between exercise and nutrition in order for it to work, she said.
“The key is we want families to be more aware of choices they make,” said Walkow.
Plans are in the works to open another facility, Leaps and Bounds, in North Providence in the near future. The facility will also include programs that will focus on computer and reading skills, she said.
The 10-week program for school-age kids costs $140 plus a $35 enrollment fee. The toddler/preschool program meets once a week and costs $40 a month.
There is funding available from the Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CAASP) and Gateway Mental Health Services to allow special-needs children to attend free, according to Walkow.
Walkow said she hopes a “wide variety of kids get use out of the equipment.”
The center was recently profiled on WJAR NBC-10’s Health Check report and Walkow has seen parents bring in their children from around Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Walkow has a degree in early childhood education and also went through extensive training with the company that sold her the equipment to learn more about the body and muscle groups, she said.
She most enjoys seeing what she can get the children to do that they ordinarily would not have done before they went to Cize Me Up Kidz.
One girl lost about 10 pounds since she started the program in March, a development Walkow called an added advantage of the program. It is a work in progress with all of the children, she said, with “all of them doing great.”
Walkow hopes the kids learn that “there is exercise out there that is enjoyable and can benefit the body.”
For enrollment information, call (401) 567-5335.
