As their session at the Institute for Exercise Medicine and Prevention draws to a close, 14-year-old Joshua Olson and exercise physiologist Chris Coffey each drop to the ground, free weights in hand, and hustle across the floor in a modified "crab walk." In a race to the finish line, it's the teenager who gets there first.

Olson, who lives in Columbia Heights, suffers from asthma and struggles with his weight but has come a long way in his quest for better health and fitness as a result of his twice-weekly visits to the Little Canada clinic.

"Two years ago, Josh couldn't jog a quarter-mile and today, he ran a mile on the treadmill," said Coffey, clinic director.

Joshua's mother, Crystal, says her son has lost weight, developed better eating habits, gained confidence and brought his asthma under control. Before beginning the program five years ago, three or four emergency room visits a year were not uncommon.

"He hasn't had an episode since July," she said. "He takes his regular medicine, but exercise is really the ticket for Josh. He looks and feels so much better. I'm a happy mom when he is here."

The Institute for Exercise Medicine and Prevention, known as I.EM.PHIT and formerly located at Children's Hospital of St. Paul, recently reopened and is now owned by Dr. Cynthia Garr, a pediatrician with Pediatric and Young Adult Medicine in St. Paul and her husband, Dr. Michael Garr, a cardiologist at St. Paul Heart Clinic.

I.EM.PHIT is the only clinic of its kind in Minnesota, treating children and adolescents with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, cardiac disease, autism spectrum, ADD/ADHD, and depression through a physician-supervised fitness and nutrition program.

"If these kids are just sitting all the time, they end up gaining weight and put themselves at risk for hypertension and Type II diabetes," Cynthia Garr said. "There are studies showing that -- chronically ill or not -- kids who continue on this kind of path will actually shorten their life span anywhere from two to five years."

At I.EM.PHIT, Coffey and other physiologists keep the kids moving on treadmills, elliptical machines and stationary bikes while also playing games with exercise balls and other equipment to help make things fun.

"A lot of what we're about is showing them what they can do while educating them on what's appropriate and safe," Coffey said.

New patients at I.EM.PHIT have an initial consultation to evaluate their physical health and fitness; from there, a personalized exercise and nutrition plan is developed. I.EM.PHIT is a sliding-scale, fee-for-service clinic, with financial assistance available for qualifying patients.

"By getting kids on their feet, we can help them get their bodies into shape, which really helps them build self-esteem," Cynthia Garr said. "In the long run, they will be healthier and happier."

These days, Olson is happy doing things he never enjoyed before -- spending time on the treadmill, doing leg curls and jumping rope while playing his Wii at home, although he's recently switched up his routine a little.

"Now I jog when I'm playing my Wii," Olson said. "And every 3 minutes, I stop and do push-ups, too."

Julie Pfitzinger is a West St. Paul freelance writer.