A visitor at the Brain Gym training day practices on the Dividat Senso machine.
Taylor Davis
Time to train the brain muscle at the new Brain Gym located at the Waldridge Fitness Center at Clear Creek Park.
The renovation of the fitness area includes new machines that focus on cognitive training combined with fitness.
Corey Disler helps a member figure out different games on the Blue Goji bikes.
Taylor Davis
The motivation behind the Brain Gym is to serve a broader range of the community and create an offering that was unavailable in the area before, according to Parks Director Derrick Griffitts.
His team felt the community’s need for fitness beyond traditional workouts. Especially in the senior community, they saw a need for cognitive and neurological health, inspiring them to create a balance that would serve all groups of people.
A guest from Scheller’s Fitness & Cycling discovers the different activities on the Dividat Senso machine.
Taylor Davis
On February 18, community leaders, park staff, and gym members got an up close and in-depth look at the new machines and how the Brain Gym is merging innovative fitness and brain-body technology.
Corey Disler gave the group an introduction on the importance of working out your brain along with the rest of your body. He also explained the Power Plate machine, a vibrating board that forces the body to work against gravity and fight against vibrations to activate muscle fibers.
Guy Brunke explained the Blue Goji machines, which are different types of stationary bicycles that display games to play while working out, to not only elevate the heart rate but also engage the mind through interactive gaming.
Dallas Wright demonstrated the Dividat Senso, a large mat with handlebars and a large television screen, where gym patrons can choose from over 17 exercise games tailored to improve cognitive and motor skills through interactive play.
Finally, Tom West explained the Smart Fit machine to the group, which is a large board on the wall where folks can either use a mallet or their hands to hit spots on the board as they light up corresponding with different games like matching shapes or counting by twos.
A visitor plays as a puppy jumping and moving through obstacles on the Blue Goji bike.
Taylor Davis
Around 40% of daily Family Activity Center users are over the age of 55 according to Griffitts. Cognitive health resources like the Brain Gym are mostly unavailable locally, but the impact of neurological disorders like dementia and poor balance continues to rise.
Griffitts and his team hope to provide an accessible, local option to satisfy the cognitive health need. They also believe that the Brain Gym will help those who play sports improve hand-eye coordination and overall mental performance.
“It is definitely a change from our previous offerings, which centered more around standard fitness elements, weights, cycles, treadmills, etc. We still have those traditional pieces of equipment! However, our hope is that users find our new cognitive offering to provide a much more comprehensive experience,” said Griffitts.
Additionally, many of the traditional gym equipment pieces have gotten an upgrade and are now more user-friendly with swivel seats, larger screens, easy adjustments and softer surfaces.
“Our broader hope is that this fitness model will allow more of our users to explore additional options at Shelbyville/Shelby County Parks,” said Griffitts. “Overall, we are working to help our residents improve their quality of life and become less limited in their recreation activities by neurological obstacles.”
