New Kid-Friendly Gym Promotes Video Games Instead of Treadmills

KXAN.com reports that a new breed of gym has just opened up in Round Rock, Texas. The gym, Game on Fun Fitness, is geared towards kids ages 6 - 14, and uses interactive video games to get the body moving and allow the kids to have fun at the same time.

I like coming here, because I get electronics and a workout all in one,

said Breanne Steger, 13. The gym's mission is to get kids off the couch and get them to a place where working out and staying in shape is fun. Game On owner Chanee Robinson said:

You can't just keep griping about it, so this is a proactive approach to give them what they want and get them what, as parents, we know they need.

After being open only two months, the new kid friendly gym has really taken off. Robinson originally came up with the idea as a means to not only run her own business, but to also spend more time with her two kids. Game On member Kyle Mueck said:

I come here on Mondays and Wednesdays and Saturdays, maybe Fridays. I like it here. It's a lot of fun.

The gym's program is designed so that the kids have to go through a one hour long circuit, which means that they hit all of the equipment, like the rock wall. Robinson said:

Which is really a vertical treadmill, so as you go up, it comes down.

Some of the features the gym has are hydraulic pressure weights, Dance Dance Revolution, dodge ball and so much more designed to get their energy out in a fun way. If all of this were not enough, once they make it through the circuit, they are also rewarded. Robinson said:

They earn 15 minutes to play Wii, Rock Band or Guitar Hero, so it's really not about that. It's just something to entice them in here and then it's something to reward them.

The gym allows parents to sign-up for a one month membership for $49.99, and they also offer a parents' night out program. On Friday and Saturday nights, you can drop off your kids for three hours, and it's only $10 per child.