WayBeyond redefines fitness

WayBeyond, the groundbreaking fitness and lifestyle concept for children 3 to 12 years old, opened its flagship site at Westfield UTC Shopping Center this week.

“Children learn best through play,” says international designer Dean Simon, co-founder of WayBeyond and creator of the company’s Functional PlayArt’ equipment, “so we’re focused on encouraging an enjoyment of physical activities by bringing the fun into health and fitness.”

The mission of WayBeyond is to transform the way children feel about exercise through its exclusive Functional PlayArt equipment, individualized exercise programs, proprietary monitoring systems, and a family-friendly, healthy cafe. The unique Functional PlayArt equipment is unprecedented in both form and function. Brightly colored, large in scale and unusually shaped, the modules are designed to capture a child’s imagination and motivate interaction.

Each piece of equipment is created for specific and defined age-appropriate fitness functions. “Kids are usually more interested in having fun than exercising,” says Brian Blacher, vice president of program development.

“With small groups supervised by certified trainers, kids jump, run, climb, balance and move. They’re getting a terrific workout developing balance, core strength, and fine and gross motor skills, but as far as the kids are concerned, they’re just having fun.”

Monitoring the effectiveness of WayBeyond’s innovative approach is at the heart of the company’s IT program. Within the next few months, WayBeyond will launch MyWayBeyond.com where parents can track their child’s improvement. Every session will be recorded into WayBeyond’s database, providing weekly updates for parents and children to follow their progress.

Improved nutrition is an important focus of WayBeyond. At The WayBeyond Cafe, recipes for popular kids’ foods are reformulated to be healthier, with lower fat and sugar levels and increased vitamin content. Packaging is designed to appeal to kids, with bright colors and unique presentation from fruit juice “test-tube shots” to Pirate Veggie Face Pizzas.

“We’re making a commitment to improving not just kids’ health, but their self-esteem as well,” adds Simon. “We believe that WayBeyond can make a difference in each child that will last a lifetime.”