Parents: Resolve to help your child get fit in 2019

Emily Wallis, 11, of Levittown, participates in an aerial yoga class at Emerge Yoga & Wellness in Massapequa. Credit: Danielle Silverman
Grown-ups routinely make New Year’s resolutions for themselves, but how about making one for the kids? If you want to help them get more exercise in 2019, here are five fitness classes meant especially for them:
CrossFit Kids
WHERE Multiple individually owned locations across Long Island; visit kids.crossfit.com for map with venues, addresses and phone numbers
INFO Prices vary by location
SC CrossFit 165 in Hicksville, for instance, offers classes for kids ages 7 to 12 and for teens, says owner Charles Cassara. Cassara has also just opened a new, bigger location in Farmingdale where he will be including classes for teenagers. For younger kids, classes are more interactive. “It’s like they’re playing, but getting fit. We make it a little more fun for them to keep them going,” Cassara says. The games incorporate exercises such as squatting and lunging. Teens are more mature and focused, and so they use barbells and do pullups and chin-ups. “That will be more structured, like CrossFit,” he says, referring to the adult regimen. Kids 7 to 12 are $60 a month for twice-a-week classes, and teens are $199 for three months of twice-a-week classes. There’s also an optional Friday class included in the fee, he says. SC CrossFit 165 is at 942 S. Broadway in Hicksville, 631-334-7225, sccrossfit165.com
Kids in Motion
WHERE Unlimited Sports Action, 30 Beechwood Ave., Port Washington, 516-767-7675, unlimitedsportsaction.com
INFO $30 a class for 10- or 15-class session; new schedule begins in January
Even the littlest kids can use a workout in the winter, and a new class at Unlimited Sports Action, called Kids in Motion, is just for the toddler and preschool set. Kids visit different stations in small groups, including an obstacle course, trampoline, and even a bouncy castle. Unlimited Sports Action launched the 45-minute classes for kids ages 2 to 4 in the fall and will be continuing them for the winter. Each class meets once a week; there’s a session for ages 2 and 3 and a separate class for ages 3 and 4. “It’s an action-packed class,” says Rob Kienle, a manager at Unlimited Sports Action.

Omar Emami, 13, works out at SC Crossfit 165 in Hicksville. Credit: Danielle Silverman
Family Fly
WHERE Emerge Yoga & Wellness, 623 Broadway, Massapequa, 516-781-1078, emergeyogawellness.com
INFO $17 per child, $23 per adult
Parents and kids ages 6 and older can experience anti-gravity yoga together at this 11:30 a.m. Saturday class that lets the whole family swing upside down in hammocks as they stretch. “The hammock is great for the spine,” says Sydnie Tamberino, director of studio operations. Emerge also offers anti-gravity yoga classes grouped by age. Other yoga studios on Long Island also offer anti-gravity classes for children.
PeeWee and Junior Boxing
WHERE Heavy Hitters Boxing and Fitness, 1915 Lakeland Ave., Ronkonkoma, 631-567-3538, heavyhittersboxing.com
INFO $120 per month
Heavy Hitters offers boxing training for peewees, ages 4 to 9, and juniors, ages 10 to 15. In addition to strength and conditioning training, they learn to punch the bag, says co-owner Christine Morales. The junior boxing class also teaches sparring in the ring. “It teaches them self-defense and builds their confidence,” Morales says. Other gyms on Long Island may also offer boxing lessons for children.
Zumbini
WHERE Various franchise owners teach in locations across Long Island; visit Zumbini.com for venues and demo classes
INFO Prices vary by class
Zumbini was created by Zumba and the BabyFirst TV channel for kids from newborn to age 4. The music and movement class incorporates dance, though the class is not a carbon copy of the adult Zumba sessions, says instructor Nicole Curran, who teaches in Dix Hills and Huntington and charges $155 for six weeks of classes. “They’re swaying side to side, you touch your toes, you touch the sky,” she says. “It’s all original music. The music is all international, Spanish and Arabic music like Zumba has.” Various locations are offering free demo classes in early January; Curran’s demos are on Jan. 7 at Emilia’s New York Studio of Dance,1842 E, Jericho Tpke., Dix Hills and Jan. 10 at Variations, A Dancer’s Studio, at 180 Spring Rd., Huntington.