Eric Thomas' childhood revolved around athletics, so it's natural that he now teaches children how to make exercise part of a healthy lifestyle.

   Thomas, who went to college on a track-and-field scholarship and competed in the 400-meter hurdles event at the 2000 Olympics, said becoming a father inspired him to do what he does.

   He works with 80 to 90 children a week and says the focus of his work is to create healthy children — as well as adults and families — and to make them believe exercise is fun.

   "It changes the atmosphere; it changes the whole well being," Thomas said. "It makes the whole entire family healthier."

   Thomas' youngest client is just 7, but he serves everyone from teenagers to 50-year-old executives.

   Some of the children he works with have weight issues, he said, but most just want to live a healthier life. He charges $35 an hour for children under 12; $45 for kids 13-18.

   When parents are shopping for a personal trainer, they should find someone who has a background in athletics, Thomas said. And both Thomas and Andrew Baatz, another personal trainer who works with kids, said the trainer should be certified, know how to teach kids about nutrition, be fun, patient and willing to step outside the box.

   When Baatz — a part-time trainer — was 17, he weighed 315 pounds, so he said he understands children with weight and fitness issues.

   Baatz mainly works inside the 610 Loop, but Thomas travels all over Houston to meet with clients.

   Thomas said every routine is different, but all start with a fitness evaluation and from there, he'll teach stretching, do crunches and running exercises. He'll then ask clients to continue the stretching and other parts of the regimen between training sessions.

   Baatz, like Thomas, doesn't train children in gyms, so they don't get distracted. Instead he trains in clients' homes and carries equipment with him. He simplifies exercises with medicine balls and stretching and explains how everything works.

   "I try to make it practical," he said.

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