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Dinner and a workoutMcDonald’s opening kids ’ mini-gyms at some restaurantsRonald McDonald is working on his glutes.Under pressure to thwart criticism about the fast-food industry's role in childhood obesity, McDonald’s is unveiling play gyms for kids at some restaurants featuring stationary bikes, monkey bars, climbing ropes and a mini basketball court.Replacing the less-active PlayPlace, the R-Gym in Santa Ana is the fourth todebut in the country.The burger giant said it will open 20 R-Gyms, named after mascot Ronald McDonald, in the next year as itcontinues to maintain its restaurants support healthy lifestyles.Fitness experts applauded McDonald s for encouraging kids to exercise. But they also said the R-Gym is not worth visiting daily if it means enticing children to chow down on fatty fast food.“It is not recommended to ride a stationary bike while eating a Big Mac, said Debi Pillarella, a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise.Janet Little, a nutritionist for Henry’s Marketplace and Wild Oats supermarkets, said she hopes parents don’t use the R-Gym “to rationalize going to McDonald’s every day.” “Because, truly, the calories you bum there won't come near the amount needed to bum off what they consume,” Little said.Still, she and Pillarella gave kudos to McDonald’s for providing a play area where kids can get a good workout.And that’s exactly what was happening at the Santa Ana R-Gym, which children have been testing for a week.Boys piny hoops in a basketball court,finishing off drives to the basket with aslam dunk or layup.The 13-foot-long indoor court is next to a giant climbing apparatus that lodes identical to a PlayPlace, the typical play area found in5,500 McDonald’s nationwide.But instead of emphasizing the less-active tubular slides, this 22-foot-tall apparatus contains an obstacle course of stations focused on developing strength, balance and aerobic exercise.Kids maneuver through horizontal rock walls, monkey bars and rope climbers. Outside the climbing area are two stationary bikes, where kids can pedal while watching video games.Kids lined up to take turns, including Erica Ramirez, 8. While she waited, Ramirez stepped onto a soft-padded track field” designed for sprinting.“Do you guys want to race?” she shouted to her cousins. After the dash, the out-of-breath, sweaty children returned to their table to munch on fries, burgers and chicken McNuggets.“They play. They eat and play some more,” said baby sitter Bridghitte Tapia. Martha Magcasi, 34, said she normally“steers clear” of McDonald’s but decidedto take her 3-year-old daughter to R-Gym after passing by the restaurant.“Normally, we don’t give her junk food, but I figure she could come here and work off her mealshe said.Health and fitness experts said that’s fine, as long as parents do it in moderation.Although putting a. mini-gym for kids on the premises is a great idea, the only way we’re going to make a dent in theexpanding waistlines of America's youth is to continue to educate children and their parents” there are better options for kids than fast food, said Pillarella.Yet McDonald’s argues it is already doing just that by offering children more choices such as apple dippers and low-fat milk as substitutes for fries and sodas in Happy Meals. It also offers yogurt andlow-fat salads.The gym is the physical extension of that healthy menu campaign, thecompany said.“The R-Gym is just another example of McDonald’s dedication to helping customers live balanced, active lifestyles,” said Jennifer Smith, a company spokeswoman.Smith and the Santa Ana franchisee who owns the restaurant and paid for the gym as part of a remodel declined to say how much the R-Gym cost.The other R-Gyms currently are in Sacramento, Whittier and Tulsa, Okla.As for Thpia, she said she expects to take her charges to the McDonald's in Santa Ana at least once a week.The reality is she's going to take them to a McDonald’s anyway, so why not this one, said a pregnant Tapia, while eating afruit-and-yogurt parfait.After an hour there, many of her crew collapsed on chairs, ready to head home.“I’m hoping they don’t fall asleep because 1 don’t want to carry them from the car,” Tapia said.flAfter consuming a sausage McMuffin,Francisco Sosa, 7, rides a stationarybike connected to an interactive videoscreen at McDonald's new R-Gym inSanta Ana, Calif.* v*******vy?-xHEALTH
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Barstow Press Dispatch
Barstow, California, US
Sun, Dec 24, 2006
Page 68
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USA 18 Jun 2023
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