Jessica Lutz talks with kids after one of her BendBits Kids exercise classes at Just Cut Organic Juice Bar and Fitness on Dec. 3 in Redmond.

I wiped the sweat off my brow and struggled to catch my breath as the last toddler lapped me on the obstacle course. She turned to look up at me in her pink sweater and coordinated light-up shoes. Awkwardly surmounting plyometric crossfit platforms — called “mountains” for tiny feet — I tried to embrace how absolutely ridiculous I must have looked. Words of encouragement boomed from Coach Jessica Lutz while I made my way down to the end of the gym, dead last.

The children I was working alongside have an advantage as they had been working with Jessica Lutz, owner and coach of BendBits Kids, an 8-week fitness program that incorporates fitness and positive reinforcement for young children. But for her, its more than just a physical education program — it’s about verbal support as well.

“It’s like spinach in a smoothie,” she says of the importance of incorporating a positive message into her program.

Normally the class is intended for kids ages 2 to 9 but today the ages are 2 to 25. Lutz made a special exception for me. She launched the program in September 2022 that has so far generated a strong response from parents. And don’t be fooled by the name — BendBits serves all of Central Oregon.

Lutz gained experience working with kids for 22 years during her career which took her all the way from Manhattan to San Diego, but has no kids of her own. She also has a degree in early childhood development with a specialization in autism spectrum disorder. After her long stint nannying, she then went into business herself with Nanny Now, a family consulting company, until COVID hit in 2020.

After a group warmup, we ran back and forth at “turtle speed,” proceeding as slow as possible, then “cheetah speed,” — the fastest of course — and then “dog speed,” somewhere in the middle. Multicolor cones marked the way for us as amused parents watched from the corner. The scene took a momentary turn due to a head-on toddler collision.

I learned pretty early on that cones play many different roles in the running drills. In the first game, they were spread across the floor in various states — either upturned “ice cream cones” or upright “volcanoes” — and we were to restore them to their original positions using pool noodles. I could tell that this activity was designed to hone fine motor skills by challenging us to use small, deliberate movements. The fun part was turning the “volcanoes” into “ice cream cones” by simply giving them a good whack.

We then played a game called “Cowboys and Bulls” in which one person started as a cowboy with a pool noodle as their lasso, tasked with catching the bulls by hitting them as they ran past. The incentive to be a cowboy proved irresistible for some, including the smallest BendBits kid, who volunteered to take on the entire herd by himself. I was surprised at how strenuous it was as I began to break a sweat pretty early on. I made it to the other end once before falling victim to a flurry of limp noodle lassos.

The deeper meaning of these activities was not lost on me. The most touching instance of this was at the very end when we were all handed medals and stickers and passed around a mirror in which we had to repeat an affirmation. Some of them included: “I run super fast!,” “I am strong!” and “I am good” at whichever volume we chose.

It sounds silly, but once that mirror is in your hand and you are looking yourself in the eye and have to repeat something positive — which I doubt many adults do on a regular basis — one could see how this would be powerful practice for anyone, especially kids.

If you have children ages 2 through 9 who want to try this program out, contact Jessica Lutz, Owner and Coach, BendBits Kids, 617-697-4919, BendBitsRunClub@Gmail.com or go to www.bendbits.org.

JUST CUT Fitness, Redmond (indoor) Run Club Program Schedule:

Tuesdays, 10-10:45 a.m. Ages 2-4

Tuesdays, 4-4:45 p.m. Ages 5-9

Thursdays, 1:30-2:15 p.m. Ages 2-4