BANGALORE: Kids enjoying on merry go-rounds and see-saws might be a familiar sight for many, but the tiny tots of today’s health conscious tech city have decided to take to the gyms now. Little feet made for tiptoeing can now be seen moving on treadmills and twisters when these rug rats sweat it out at the workout sessions specially designed for them. Kids in the IT City, some only two years old, are on the move, trying to work on their abs and muscles already. They are hitting gyms at their respective preschools and having a good time exerting themselves.A few preschools across the city are out with gyms stuffed with the miniature forms of fitness equipment used by adults. Moreover, these sessions are part of their curriculum as well. “Kids workout on treadmills, twisters, weightlifting devices and cycles. These classes are conducted twice or thrice a week and help improve the gross motor skills of children. All equipment are manually operated and are not motorised,” informed Girija Maruthupandian, centre head of Apple Kids International Preschool in Kundalahalli.Schools with these sessions, as part of their curriculum, claim that the rounds are quite useful looking at today’s trends and lifestyle. “Such centres are the need of the hour specially when in most of the cases, both the parents are working and hardly have time to take kids to parks or other play areas. These indoor gyms chip in here and prove to be an exciting activity for toddlers. They are even more excited about these equipment as they see their parents working out at home, but they are not allowed to use them,” said Girija. Parents also seem to be excited about their little ones getting health conscious, as Vibhushita Tandon, mother of Naisha Tandon (two-year-old) said, “These sessions are not rigorous, but quite helpful looking at the busy schedule of parents. Children enjoy theses shifts and while doing so, they burn extra calories as well.” While few preschools are going fancy with these equipment, others like Eurokids at Indiranagar believe in playing it light with little ones.“Children have nothing better to do these days than to sit in front of the television for hours or play video games. So, their few hours at the preschool become very crucial. We make them sweat out in a fun way and they do not even realise they are exercising,” said Sejal Kothari, director, Eurokids, Indiranagar. The play centre has ladders, rings, crawlers, obstacles and colourful cardboard bricks for kids to exercise and enjoy at the same time.Children also do the elephant walk and grasshopper jump on a weekly basis.Experts feel that there is no harm as long as little ones enjoy these sessions and are not forced into it. “Although kids who are growing normally and are achieving milestones at standard pace do not need such sessions, sweating out cannot have a negative impact if these sessions are tailored according to a child’s need. Further, they should be accompanied with proper nutrition. A kid’s sweating out will any day need more supplements than the one that is not working out,” said Dr Prakash Vemgal, consultant neonatologist and pediatric intensivist, Fortis Hospitals. But he also added that a child sweating out naturally is far better an option than the gyms. “A kid might not be willing to work out so rigorously and might not be excited about such sessions. In that case, it can have a negative consequence. I feel that parents should go for such sessions only if they want their toddler to be an athlete or a sportsperson,” said Dr Prakash.
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