But, now there is.

Youth Movement Fitness is not just an ordinary fitness club that has regular exercise machines. Part of the reason is that the focus of the club is toward children, and Weiser knows that children aren't just going to hop on an exercise machine to try and lose some pounds.
So she and her staff found another way. There are plenty of items in the club that are very appealing to children like the "Treadwall," which is a treadmill designed like a rock wall. Children climb the wall to try and reach the top, but the wall just keeps moving downward, making the children work extra hard, hence, exercising. During the open house, the line to try the wall stayed packed. Kids can also try a real treadmill machine, along with dance sessions, special training circuits and classes that teach children about healthy eating.

The way the club introduces the exercising to the children is the secret. The staff will have the youngsters having fun with it, instead of trying to just preach the importance of it, which at certain ages seems futile.

"The big thing is the kids are the consumer and the parents are the customer," said Youth Movement general manager Josh Weisman. "We try to teach the kids about drinking the right fluids, eating the right foods, etc. Kids know the difference between the right foods and the wrong foods, how to instead of having three cookies have one.

"We also teach the parents to take their kids to the grocery stores with them to let the kids see the difference between good foods and bad foods."

Weiser said that the club just does not want to attract children from 3-years old and up, but even before that.

"We would like to implant this program right from the get-go," she said. "We want a mother to come in with her newborn, if she wants to get back in shape, she lifts the baby (like lifting weights) and plays with the baby."

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the number of children who are overweight has tripled since 1980. In a survey done by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1999-2002, 16 percent of children ages 6-19 are overweight. Adolescents who are overweight have a 70 percent chance at becoming overweight or obese when they reach adulthood, according to Health and Human Services.

Weiser said that a common misconception that parents have is that children get enough exercise by participating in sports, but that's not always the case.

"There are more kids that don't participate in sports than do," said Weiser, who added that the staff at Youth Movement monitors the progression of the children.

Joel Allen of Bryn Mawr brought his children, Joel, 8, and Selena, 4, to the open house. He said that he plans to sign his children up at Youth Movement because they seem to be enjoying the experience and he wants them to be in better shape as they grow up.

"The kids need to be on some kind of exercise program," Allen said of his children. "Child exercising is very important because of the way Americans eat. We eat all kinds of fatty foods and we don't get enough exercise, so if children to come here, it would be a great asset."

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter was a guest at the open house and concurred with Allen's notion.

"I always tell my kids that it's important to exercise while you're young," Trotter said as he signed autographs. "As you get older, you put on weight, so it's important to work out. It is great to have a gym like this with smaller equipment that lets the kids have fun."

When asked if he would sign his children up at Youth Movement, Trotter said, "Definitely. If we had something like this on the West Coast, where I live, I would definitely put them in the gym. [Parents should take their kids to the gym] because its only going to make them healthier. They won't have to worry about high blood pressure or diabetes when they get older. When you put on that extra weight it puts you at more risk for catching diabetes in the future, so in the long term it just keeps your kids healthier."

For more information of Youth Movement Fitness Club and the different children programs visit www.youthmovementfitness.com or call 610-520-2222.