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SCMP Reporter

STEVE Brossman, former top Australian sprinter and children's fitness expert, has a way with the most sports-shy child, even the proverbial exercise-phobic.

Brossman's philosophy is simple: most children love fun, they hate boring, structured exercise and dread failure. So let's make exercise fun and non-competitive. Let's call it Gym Jam Club.

It may have taken the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics hopeful 12 months to come up with that catchy name, but since he did, 25 clubs have sprung up across Australia, three in the US, one in Malaysia, and the wave of Gym Jam has now hit Southeast Asia.

Brossman's Olympics dream fell apart due to a back injury, but it changed his direction and he founded Gym Jam Club (Australia), a children's health programme that gravitates even the most non-sports orientated kids.

'I love kids. To me, it's scary to think the future generation is going to be very unhealthy, and I don't want to be paying for their health bills!' said the 37-year-old club president.

Brossman is serious. Statistics show one in three Australian children between 12 and 16 are obese, one in two have high cholesterol. And in Hong Kong, obesity and heart disease account for a quarter of our deaths.

But Gym Jam was not about fitness-building, Brossman told local instructors in training workshops that accompanied the launch of Hong Kong's first Gym Jam Club last week.

'It's to develop in children a positive attitude towards being active and doing exercise they'll carry on the rest of their lives.' Essentially Sports, the company introducing Gym Jam Club in Hong Kong, organised an ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously) afternoon at the Hong Kong Cricket Club that saw Brossman getting 380 school children into all sorts of fun movements.

Company director Tania Mansfield is spreading the idea to schools and targets even local housing estates.

'We are seeking sponsors to make it a very affordable programme. We don't want it to be just a rich man's or expatriates' course,' Mansfield said.

Gym Jam activities - Brossman doesn't call them 'exercise' - are done through fun games wearing fun names. They use creative visualisation and imagery in musical movements, mini-aerobics, and develop children socially in a highly team-spirited environment.

'It's play. Kids have a good time without thinking they are exercising, although technically they are,' he said.

Brisbane-based Brossman had worked with countless children who were totally inactive, overweight and slow learners.

'Within a month, they had asked mum and dad to buy them a bike and were out doing things,' he said.

'We've had children who had poor muscle tone. But after three weeks with us, physiotherapists noticed a dramatic change.' Gym Jam caters for youngsters up to 12 years old.

'It's a health and lifestyle education. Instructors are trained to do fun health talks that children remember: how our body works, healthy eating habits and so on,' Brossman explained. 'But we most definitely discourage dieting.' Mansfield says they encourage sixth-formers taking PE to take the 20-hour instructors' training course so they may employ them during holidays.

Brossman has already trained 25 local instructors - as many as in Australia. By Christmas, he said, they could be starting clubs at 40 to 50 locations.

'Gym Jam Club will be successful here because Hong Kong children need a break.

'They'll become more productive through the small exercise sessions. And their academic achievements will improve.' 



Gym Jam bounces in