Buy Exercise Equipment

Youth fitness priority in Fargo-Moorhead

FARGO – It’s hard to imagine that the energetic tumblers in TNT Kid’s Fitness and Gymnastics Academy were once considered part of a stagnant and obese community.

In November 2010, a body mass index evaluation indicated that 57 percent of girls and 37.5 percent of boys in the Fargo-Moorhead area were considered obese, said Kim Pladson, TNT executive director.

“We want kids to understand that it is important to be active in life,” Pladson said. “Our goal is to bring these numbers down by 10 percent.”

In order to help promote a healthier lifestyle for children, TNT applied for the Carol M. White Physical Education Program last year through the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools and was granted $703,000 over a three year period.

“This grant is strictly used for after-school programs. That’s why we chose to work with programs like the Moorhead school system,” said Pladson.

TNT has partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of the Red River Valley, Sanford Health, Dakota Medical Foundation-Streets Alive, Moorhead Public Schools and the city of Fargo. In the first year, more than $380,000 has been used to buy physical activity equipment and to pay the TNT staff, who then trains other organizations to implement physical activity each day.

“We buy equipment that can be used in hallways or small areas because gym space is hard to come by because of organized sports that use them,” said Pladson.

TNT is collaborating with three Moorhead elementary public schools and three Fargo Youth Commission sites in providing after-care children with an outlet for exercise.

“They’re learning how to make activity a big part of their lives,” said Pladson. “We need to make sure they get those life skills.”

According to KamiJo Rath, a fitness program manager at TNT, the key to getting young children to exercise is short bursts of activity.

“We do four 15-minute bouts to keep the kids moving,” Rath said. “By doing this, the kids don’t have enough time to think, ‘Well, I’m tired of doing this.’ They don’t realize they are working out.”

Some of the things the children do include climbing rock walls, balancing on beams, jumping on trampolines and playing more active games.

The remaining balance of the grant is to be given in increments over the next two years, and $162,000 is expected this year but has not yet been approved for the year.

“We’ve had 4,000 families come through these programs,” Pladson said. “It’s truly rewarding hearing from parents that their kids are being more active and are making better food choices on their own. That’s how we know the programs are working.

How To Buy The Right Sports Equipment | Health Help | Health Help ...

The quality of most sports equipment will be dictated by the target market of each product. For instance, a golf club aimed at the world’s top players will be customized to a greater level and be of a higher standard than a golf club which is aimed at the typical weekend player.  Nevertheless, this is not to say that the clubs made for the ordinary players aren’t good.

One of the most important things that you can do when you are planning to buy your sports equipment is to actually go and feel the equipment to see if it suits you.  Whether it is performance clothing or the equipment for the sports itself, knowing that it does balance well with you will give you more confidence and help you decide if you should proceed on buying a particular piece of sports equipment. 

The importance of trying equipment before actually buying it can often be an incentive to go to a shop or specialist retailer. But doing it this way will often eliminate the savings that you can make by shopping for that equipment online.  However, some manufacturers of sporting goods often hold events which allow potential buyers to try out their equipment. And if you do attend such event, it can give you an idea of how well their sports equipment would suit you, without having to commit to buying those goods.

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