By Victoria Stone-Meadows
The City of Casey became of the first place in Australia for parents to work out and play with their children at the same time.
YMCA has launched its Playnasium equipment and is taking it on a roadshow that started at the Wilson Botanic Park in Berwick on Sunday 15 January.
The new equipment encourages parents and kids to work out together while forming a friendly bond between parents and kids.
Using the children as counterweights, the Playnasium equipment combines fun play for the kids with building a love for healthy play.
Associate Professor Kylie Hesketh from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University said the Playnasium equipment will go a long way to tackling childhood obesity.
“Our research shows that active parents have children who are more active,” she said.
“Being active together has many benefits for a family’s health and wellbeing.
“Importantly, it allows parents to model an active lifestyle to their children and provides a great opportunity for families to bond and have fun together.”
Childhood obesity rates in Australia are rising with one in four children currently classed as overweight or obese with a predicted rise to one in three by 2025.
YMCA Victoria chief executive Peter Burns said it can be hard for parents of young children to get to the gym and the Playnasium will solve some of that stress.
“Being a parent of young kids can make it tricky to get to the gym and this new equipment bridges the gap so people can be at the gym and the playground all at the same time,” he said.
“With more than half of Australian adults getting insufficient amounts of exercise and nearly a quarter spending more than eight hours sitting down every day, we wanted to develop equipment that not only helps mum and dad get out into the community but was fun for the whole family.”
