A local gym is trying to teach kids that fitness is fun and not a chore.
“It’s really important to us that we’re teaching kids from a young age that fitness is beneficial, important and fun,” said CrossFit Moirai owner Carey Swift.
To that end they have started to programs, MiniFit for ages 5-7 and JuniorFit for 8-12-year-olds.
Swift also felt that in with all the families living in Chestermere a kid’s program was a must.
“We couldn’t not offer a program for kids,” said Swift.
The kid’s programs borrow from the adult courses offered at the gym but takes into account that the kids are still developing physically.
“We take all of those movements that we do in the adult classes and we turn them into fun and games for kids,” said Swift.
The classes are being taught by Coach Kelsey Parker.
In designing the courses, Parker said that she had to scale her usual classes back for the kids. She has them use mostly body weight instead of lifting a lot of weight.
“I want them to be stronger but putting them under a heavy load probably not the smartest thing at their age,” said Parker, “‘cause they’re not fully developed yet.”
Parker said that all the kids seem to enjoy the classes. The younger age groups get excited.
“They want to do everything their parents do,” she said.
The older age group is a little more talkative and focused on having fun.
Ten-year-old Madison Christie tried the class on the suggestion of her mom, Ally who attends the adult classes at CrossFit Moirai.
“I like the coaches and how hard the workout is,” said Madison.
Ally said that her daughter has a lot of fun with the classes and likes the community at the gym.
For more information go to www.crossfitmoirai.com.
