Body Bar Inc., a premier fitness company specializing in products and educational tools for fitness enthusiasts of all ages and abilities announced this week that its Body Bar and Body Bar FLEX are benefitting children and adults who are on the autism spectrum.
Eric Chessen, M.S., founder of Autism Fitness, has spent a decade developing and delivering successful fitness programs for individuals on the autism spectrum, and the Body Bar is part of his strategy. He is the creator of the Autism Fitness Toolbox, and in addition to working with his athletes, Eric consults, presents, and provides training worldwide to parents, educators, OT/PTs, behavior therapists, and fitness professionals.
"As my athletes, aged ten years and up, progress in their strength and stability, I seek to broaden their physical abilities," commented Mr. Chessen. "The stronger and more capable they grow, the easier life's daily physical challenges. The Body Bar offers just about everything I need in a piece of equipment. The softer grip is great for younger athletes and those who have an aversion to certain textures. I use the Body Bar for squats, back squats, presses, and even hybrid Olympic lifts. I am also a proponent of overhead carries plus combo lifts, which not only develop strength endurance, but teach rhythm and provide a stimulus to the short-term memory center of the brain. The Body Bar is my go-to for teaching many of these exercises."
Cathy Schafer's son Alex is a Body Bar FLEX enthusiast. "When you are a teenager, all you want is to be like everyone else," said Ms. Schafer. "As the mom of a 16-year-old with autism, I am constantly looking for helpful tools that are good for all kids, not just my kid. When I found the Body Bar FLEX, I knew that this would be the perfect tool to use for sensory breaks in the classroom. Not only did my son love the Body Bar FLEX, his classmates did too. I would go in periodically and ask how things were going, and all of the kids were enthusiastic, and they all were showing me different ways they used it. I highly recommend the Body Bar FLEX to anyone who needs to incorporate sensory breaks, but doesn't want to look any different than anyone else. Not only is the Body Bar FLEX one of the best tools I have ever found, the company is absolutely excellent to work with."
"When I first learned about the Body Bar FLEX I was intrigued by the concept, but I wanted to try it for myself and use them with K-12 students and children on the ASD spectrum," commented Pete Trapani, owner and operator, 360 Fitness For Life & Health, LLC. "After using the Body Bar FLEX for two months with a group of children on the ASD spectrum, I included it in my tool box of equipment for all children including kids on the ASD spectrum, and many other populations."
"The Body Bar FLEX can be used while mimicking almost any type of body movement, like training gross and fine motor skills, incorporating it into complex, multi-planar movements that stress the cardiovascular system," added Trapani. "I integrate the Body Bar FLEX into verbal, reading and math movement based learning programs. I include them in aspects of free play and other multi-tasking and memory activities that stress the central nervous system with the goal to strengthen and expand neural networks in various parts of the brain and central nervous system."
Through an in-kind partnership with Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Healthy Schools Program, Body Bar Inc. is helping to provide educational support and products to schools nationwide. Body Bar Inc.'s FLEX FIT 15 for KIDS workout uses safe, effective, integrated movement exercises involving compound movements, which work more than one muscle group at a time - to deliver specific stretching, strengthening, and core conditioning.
"Experiences shared by Body Bar users like Cathy Schafer, Eric Chessen, and Pete Trapani have been incredibly gratifying, and we hear from so many wonderful people who inspire us every day," stated Craig Williams, president and owner, Body Bar Inc. "Their words encourage all of us at Body Bar to continue to find ways to reach everyone who can enjoy and benefit from healthy movement and exercise at all levels."
About Body Bar Inc.
Founded in 1987, Body Bar Inc. provides the infinite workouts and solid educational tools that fitness enthusiasts of all ages and abilities still choose after 24 years -- because they work. Body Bar Inc. provides quality products and innovative educational tools with a commitment to changing lives worldwide through functional fitness. We consider passion, integrity and fun to be essential elements of our content and community.
Body Bar products can be purchased online through (www.bodybar.com) 1-800-500-2030. Join Body Bar Inc. on Facebook and Twitter.
About the Body Bar FLEX
The award-winning Body Bar FLEX is a flexible composite rod with easy-grip durable rubber casing and end caps. Weighing approximately one pound, the 4-foot Body Bar FLEX can be used for balance and stretching when straight, but offers resistance ranging from 0 to 20 pounds when bent into an arc. It's ergonomically tailored flexibility allows full joint range of motion and works the entire body in simple or compound movements to develop strength, flexibility, coordination and balance. According to Sherry Catlin, award-winning trainer, it is "just possibly the single most versatile, user-friendly, piece of exercise equipment you will own." (www.bodybar.com/Body-Bar-Store/Body-Bar-Flex) or call 800-500-2030.
Eric Chessen, M.S., founder of Autism Fitness, has spent a decade developing and delivering successful fitness programs for individuals on the autism spectrum, and the Body Bar is part of his strategy. He is the creator of the Autism Fitness Toolbox, and in addition to working with his athletes, Eric consults, presents, and provides training worldwide to parents, educators, OT/PTs, behavior therapists, and fitness professionals.
"As my athletes, aged ten years and up, progress in their strength and stability, I seek to broaden their physical abilities," commented Mr. Chessen. "The stronger and more capable they grow, the easier life's daily physical challenges. The Body Bar offers just about everything I need in a piece of equipment. The softer grip is great for younger athletes and those who have an aversion to certain textures. I use the Body Bar for squats, back squats, presses, and even hybrid Olympic lifts. I am also a proponent of overhead carries plus combo lifts, which not only develop strength endurance, but teach rhythm and provide a stimulus to the short-term memory center of the brain. The Body Bar is my go-to for teaching many of these exercises."
Cathy Schafer's son Alex is a Body Bar FLEX enthusiast. "When you are a teenager, all you want is to be like everyone else," said Ms. Schafer. "As the mom of a 16-year-old with autism, I am constantly looking for helpful tools that are good for all kids, not just my kid. When I found the Body Bar FLEX, I knew that this would be the perfect tool to use for sensory breaks in the classroom. Not only did my son love the Body Bar FLEX, his classmates did too. I would go in periodically and ask how things were going, and all of the kids were enthusiastic, and they all were showing me different ways they used it. I highly recommend the Body Bar FLEX to anyone who needs to incorporate sensory breaks, but doesn't want to look any different than anyone else. Not only is the Body Bar FLEX one of the best tools I have ever found, the company is absolutely excellent to work with."
"When I first learned about the Body Bar FLEX I was intrigued by the concept, but I wanted to try it for myself and use them with K-12 students and children on the ASD spectrum," commented Pete Trapani, owner and operator, 360 Fitness For Life & Health, LLC. "After using the Body Bar FLEX for two months with a group of children on the ASD spectrum, I included it in my tool box of equipment for all children including kids on the ASD spectrum, and many other populations."
"The Body Bar FLEX can be used while mimicking almost any type of body movement, like training gross and fine motor skills, incorporating it into complex, multi-planar movements that stress the cardiovascular system," added Trapani. "I integrate the Body Bar FLEX into verbal, reading and math movement based learning programs. I include them in aspects of free play and other multi-tasking and memory activities that stress the central nervous system with the goal to strengthen and expand neural networks in various parts of the brain and central nervous system."
Through an in-kind partnership with Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Healthy Schools Program, Body Bar Inc. is helping to provide educational support and products to schools nationwide. Body Bar Inc.'s FLEX FIT 15 for KIDS workout uses safe, effective, integrated movement exercises involving compound movements, which work more than one muscle group at a time - to deliver specific stretching, strengthening, and core conditioning.
"Experiences shared by Body Bar users like Cathy Schafer, Eric Chessen, and Pete Trapani have been incredibly gratifying, and we hear from so many wonderful people who inspire us every day," stated Craig Williams, president and owner, Body Bar Inc. "Their words encourage all of us at Body Bar to continue to find ways to reach everyone who can enjoy and benefit from healthy movement and exercise at all levels."
About Body Bar Inc.
Founded in 1987, Body Bar Inc. provides the infinite workouts and solid educational tools that fitness enthusiasts of all ages and abilities still choose after 24 years -- because they work. Body Bar Inc. provides quality products and innovative educational tools with a commitment to changing lives worldwide through functional fitness. We consider passion, integrity and fun to be essential elements of our content and community.
Body Bar products can be purchased online through (www.bodybar.com) 1-800-500-2030. Join Body Bar Inc. on Facebook and Twitter.
About the Body Bar FLEX
The award-winning Body Bar FLEX is a flexible composite rod with easy-grip durable rubber casing and end caps. Weighing approximately one pound, the 4-foot Body Bar FLEX can be used for balance and stretching when straight, but offers resistance ranging from 0 to 20 pounds when bent into an arc. It's ergonomically tailored flexibility allows full joint range of motion and works the entire body in simple or compound movements to develop strength, flexibility, coordination and balance. According to Sherry Catlin, award-winning trainer, it is "just possibly the single most versatile, user-friendly, piece of exercise equipment you will own." (www.bodybar.com/Body-Bar-Store/Body-Bar-Flex) or call 800-500-2030.
