My Gym Children's Fitness Center
My Gym Children's Fitness Center Official Logo | |
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| File:Mygymlogo full color.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Sherman Oaks, California, United States |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Website | http://www.my-gym.com/ |
 | This article contains promotional content. (October 2010) |
Established in 1983, the My Gym Children’s Fitness Center is a fitness center destination for children with 250 locations worldwide, including such international locations as China, France and Brazil among others.[1][2]
My Gym Children’s Fitness Center combines innovative, early physical education/pre-gymnastics classes with state-of-the-art facilities to empower children - ages 6 weeks to 13 years - by helping them acquire the skills, confidence and positive self-image needed to become healthy young adults. My Gym’s award winning, structured, noncompetitive and age appropriate classes enhance children’s overall physical development through games, music, exercise, sports, gymnastics, puppets, special rides and fun. The children gain strength, balance, coordination, fine and gross motor proficiency, agility, flexibility and social skills.[3][4]
Company History
Jaded by the lack of educational resources promoting children’s health and fitness, Woodland Hills, CA-based couple, Yakov and Susi Sherman, were inspired to open a local gym intended for children and families. With a background in gymnastics, Susi developed a program with various techniques and exercises introducing children to fitness in a fun, easy-to-follow way. The name of the gym came about because the kids liked to refer to the place as their gym. “When they said, ‘My Gym,’ they literally felt it belonged to them,” explained Susi Sherman. Word spread and the local destination soon began to attract interest from across the country. When the first franchise opened in 1994 in Folsom, CA, My Gym soon became synonymous with children’s health – and the rest is history.[5]
Today, My Gym has evolved into a full fitness destination, with many locations offering specialized programs and kids classes such as karate, yoga and sports classes in addition to Arts & Crafts, Camps and kid’s birthday parties.
30 Year Anniversary
For their 30th anniversary in 2013, My Gym unveiled a new corporate logo and a nationwide birthday party celebrating its 30 year history and ongoing commitment to children’s health and fitness.
Ongoing My Gym Initiatives
Building Blocks Program
The Building Blocks program is designed to acknowledge My Gym Kids for their efforts and achievements. It is an interactive skill and development tracking and recognition system that provides specific opportunities for students, teachers, and parents to enjoy and celebrate the attainment of key milestones together.
Westfield Mall
My Gym teamed up with the Westfield Shopping Center to launch the My Gym Express. Filled with greasy food, candy and videogames, malls are typically not associated with healthy children. However, the My Gym Express is designed as place where fun and exercise meet, working to fight childhood obesity at the source. Designed by the same professionals who crafted My Gym’s multi-award winning fitness program, the My Gym Activator Challenge features a 2-story play structure, where children can crawl through winding tunnels to balancing on a river walk’s stones as well as hop-scotching, sliding, jumping and hurdling though the course’s many other fun and fitness-filled obstacles.[6]
The Activators
In conjunction with screenwriter Gregg Lichtenstein, My Gym created and developed the The Activators, a four-member performance group that uses music and games to inspire kids to stay healthy and fit. The team was inspired to create The Activators because of the lack of children’s content in both the life and media spaces that failed to actively engage children and promote healthy lifestyles.[7][8][9][10]
My Gym on Television
“My Gym at Home,” a Parent’s Choice award winner,[11] is the first exercise series for children. Hosted by My Gym personalities Monique Vranesh and Eric Grindler, “My Gym At Home” is a fitness title program aimed at children 3 and under featuring exercises designed to assist in the formation and development of children’s motor skills, flexibility and social skills. My Gym’s team of children’s fitness professionals joined together with BabyFirstTV’s educational experts to develop and produce “My Gym At Home” bringing young families fun My Gym exercises that parents can perform at home together with their babies and toddlers.[12]