Health for youngsters? It’s clearly a proposal mother and father can’t re-FUZE – The Mercury Information

NO COUCH POTATOES HERE. Check out FUZE at 15405 Los Gatos Blvd. It’s a new fitness club just for kids in 4,200 square feet of space filled with a profusion of color, a lively beat, kids in every position they can stretch their bodies in and good smells from the kitchen.

Owners Dave and Naomi James are taking their physical fitness philosophy to a new, fun level. Dave, 41, holds a master’s degree in health care administration and is the third generation of his family to create a living from physical fitness. In the 1950s, Dave’s grandfather Charles James founded Outdoor Products, a company that produced playground equipment in a plant near the San Jose fairgrounds. Dave’s father, Leonard James, continued the tradition into the`80s.

“Our product was everywhere,” says Dave.

But today, how children play has changed. Technology has supplanted physical involvement and what playing in the park used to achieve. “Half of Los Gatos kids failed the president’s fitness test,” he points out.

Wife Naomi is a certified fitness trainer with her own business devoted to young moms with children called Stroller Power! She leads and instructs a parade of moms pushing strollers at a good clip through Los Gatos trails.

But, the couple realized that after the stroller age, there was no place for children to go. That is, not until the grand opening of FUZE on June 14. Children from kindergarten through eighth grade get instruction in four areas: yoga, martial arts and hip hop dance; strength training for 10-year-olds and up; “excergaming” with interactive equipment; and a wellness center where youngsters eat and learn about the food.

Kids may sign up for after-school memberships, drop in for $11 per class, have a two- or four-hour birthday party with all the food at about $20 for each child or attend camp during school breaks for $299 per week. “We’re having a good time,” says Dave. Call (408) 358.PLAY (7529) or visit www.fuzefit.com.

AND HERE’S SOMETHING FOR ADULTS. It’s called The Dailey Method and involves a one-hour class using the principles of yoga, ballet and pilates, turning them into a low-impact, highly effective workout. The method has been taught since 2000 in various studios throughout California and beyond, but is a first for the South Bay Area.

Macey Kalin just celebrated the grand opening of a 1,200-square-foot studio in Saratoga, 20603 Third St., where she and three staff instructors will teach the method during six classes every weekday and three on Saturdays.

Kalin, 30 and a native Los Gatan, is continuing the entrepreneurial tradition established by her parents. Her mother, Muffet Moore, is known in real estate circles for her home staging business, Posha Staging, and her father, John Moore, owns Moore Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealership in town. Call (408) 460-5949 or visit www.thedaileymethod.com.

THIS IS A LITTLE MORE LAID BACK: Pat Shay, a golf pro at Santa Clara Golf and Tennis Club, was enjoying a respite at C.B. Hannegan’s in 1999 when a vision struck him: Why not play 18 holes of golf in five minutes using dice? Or how about a football game with dice, or a NASCAR race or …

The possibilities seemed endless, so Shay followed through. First, he set up GoZone Games, the company that would serve as the umbrella for GoLo, the golfing game, Go500, the NASCAR racing game and eventually GoLong, the football game. In the tradition of other local inventors, he started building the games in a garage.

First out was GoLo in January of 2000. Shay went door-to-door, selling out of the trunk of his car. It was a hit. Word spread over the Internet. Nearly a half million of the packaged sets sold worldwide.

At Hannegan’s, the game has become the focus of an event held the week before St. Patrick’s Day, called The GoLo Masters Event. It’s an indoor golf tournament and a gambling and drinking game, where participants gear up in`70s golfing attire, such as plaid pants. Nine holes are played with nine dice in a two-minute shoot. “It’s like Yahtzee on steroids,” chuckles Shay. The winner is rewarded on casino night with a “horrible thrift store jacket and a blow-up of a check.”

Next to come out was the racing game, Go500. GoLong, the football game, is coming out this September. “They’re a great waste of time,” Shay smiles. “Kids love it, too.” GoZone is at 236 N. Santa Cruz Ave., across from Dolce Spazio. Call (408) 395-4056 or visit www.GoZoneGames.com.

FROM THE PHYSICAL TO THE ARTISTIC: Studies say only 49 percent of parents are happy with their children’s learning opportunities. Another 84 percent of them view a well-rounded education as one that includes art, music and other subjects beyond traditional academic ones.

KidzArt aims to fill the gap and is seeking Los Gatos kids for its fall after-school programs. “Many parents use after-school and weekend programs to broaden their children’s experiences,” says owner Mishele Chin, citing the studies. Her Kidzart is an art education program that provides drawing-based, visual arts instruction for youngsters in a non-competitive environment, after school and on weekends. Call for sign-up information at (800) 732-9807.

MORE ART: Whoever thought that rubber-stamping was merely dittoing, copying or me-tooing never visited Only the Best. It’s a stationary, gift, paper and art stuff store near the Whole Foods Market on Los Gatos Boulevard. It has a huge assembly of rubber stamps depicting animals, flowers and scenes of all kinds that may be used to embellish invitations, cards or scrapbooks. They also have classes showing how special papers, stamps, watercolors and markers may be used to create them.

“We’ll either advise or instruct customers on how to use supplies from start to finish,” says Jeri Ng, owner of the business for 15 years, six of them in Los Gatos. Call (408) 356-7362.

WEDDINGS CALL FOR COLOR. Brides love to see their skin glowing against their white gowns, so during the wedding season Exotica, the airbrush tanning salon, is at its busiest. Airbrushing is a technique taking about 15 minutes that involves spraying the skin with a colorless, three-carbon sugar called DHA (dihydroxyacetone). A chemical reaction in the outer layers of skin causes the skin to darken, “similar to the way a peeled apple responds to the air,” explains Kim Hiatt, owner of the second floor salon above Trader Joe’s at 15466 Los Gatos Blvd.

Different concentrations of the solution result in varying shades. The technique is FDA-approved and has been around for 30 years, according to Hiatt. She says she has 4,000 clients, mostly in the 35 years and older age range. “That’s when women become most worried about their skin,” she says. Cost for a 15-minute session is $55. It lasts about a week. Call (408) 358-4380.

FOR COMPANIES THAT LIKE TO EAT: Remember GetQuik, the mobile food-ordering service for cell phone, widget and Internet users who hate standing in line? Now the young company is expanding to handle a free corporate catering service (restaurants pay their fee). It’s called Quikit, and companies such as NetFlix use it to provide meals for their employees. Locally, the restaurants used are Pizza My Heart, High Tech Burrito and Tandoori Oven. Call (408) 884-3889 or visit www.getquik.com.

WELCOME, ASSOCIATED BUILDING SUPPLY. The 15-year-old company founded in Oxnard by CEO Chris Cole just opened a new store at 23 E. Main St. next to I Gatti’s. It’s a “premier” retailer of windows and doors for contractors, homeowners and architects. Call (408) 399-5103.