Archive for January, 2009
Make Fitness Fun For Kids
With increasing concerns over childhood obesity, excess Internet use, and other issues, parents can benefit their kids by making fitness fun.
Most kids don’t have the foresight or self-discipline to commit to an exercise program. Adults see the long-term benefits that come from the commitment. Kids don’t. But young people have lots of natural energy and always want to enjoy themselves. Making fitness an exercise in having fun, rather than fulfilling a needed duty, is key to getting them into a healthy lifestyle.
There are many safe and creative ways to do that.
One way not to achieve that goal is to emulate or even just scale down an adult fitness routine. Weight machines and some other devices are fine for older kids and teens. But for the younger crowd the risks generally outweigh any possible gain.
Parents even overdo sports sometimes. More than one stern father has been observed forcing a six year old boy to swing bat after bat to hit a softball. More than one soccer mom has encouraged her daughter to run for hours to become the next pro.
Such goal-setting is inappropriate. Young children’s bones are still soft and pliable. Their muscles have not developed physiologically to the point they can endure long workouts. Keeping the activity within reasonable range is as important for health as is keeping them active.
How to do that?
Swimming is one way. Even two year old children can be taught to swim under supervision. By the time a child reaches the age of six he or she can become quite a little dolphin. When the teen years are reached, they can be close to competing with Olympic champions. Work up to it gradually, and keep it fun.
Soccer, baseball, and other traditional sports are great activities, as well, provided they’re practiced within the bounds discussed above. Gymnastics, too, is a terrific way to get kids active while providing ample opportunity for enjoyment. Not for nothing is it so popular with kids of all ages.
All these activities combine good physical effort with clear goals. Rising to the challenge of meeting those goals, and the pride that comes from achieving them, is a big part of the reward to kids. They enjoy testing themselves, developing and honing their skills, and seeing results from their efforts. That adds a healthy mental aspect to the excellent physical components.
The benefits are many, including a fit body and a well-functioning immune system. The lymph system, unlike the circulatory system for example, relies on movement to work well since there’s no heart to pump fluid through it. When kids burn calories, just as with adults, they keep trim and tune the body. Use it or lose it applies to them as much as it does to adults.
Good habits start young. It’s much easier to develop them when the activities are not a chore but a joy. Exercise some mental creativity and your kids will be exercising their bodies in no time.
Kristy Lee Wilson
Add comment January 14, 2009
Exercise for the Youngest Set
Kids have so much natural energy it’s sometimes hard to think of why they should be encouraged to exercise. But for the younger crowd, ‘exercise’ means something quite different than in the case of adults.
Adults interested in health and fitness can commit to a rigorous, heavy workout on a regular basis. Kids would often find that sort thing boring, if not outright risky. Routines appropriate for adults just don’t suit the growing bodies of younger kids.
Kids are also becoming increasingly sedentary with the growth of alternative forms of entertainment. TV has been around for decades, but 24 hour per day video, the Internet, and other distractions are relatively recent phenomena. That increases the challenge of finding the right kind of healthy activity for those developing physiques, one that will sustain kids’ interest.
Both common sense and numerous scientific studies agree on two points. Get involved with the kids and they’ll take to exercise readily. Second, make the activity fun and tailored to the child’s age and you’ll start them off right on the road to a healthy lifestyle that lasts a lifetime.
Infants and toddlers are often whisked from barely being able to crawl right into restraints. Car seats and playpens have their place. But a very young child needs, for both physical and mental health, to explore his or her environment freely. Nearly every child will eagerly explore the surroundings, touching and grabbing, manipulating and testing. That should be allowed and even encouraged for at least some part of the day.
Later, when the muscles and bones develop to the point that more vigorous activities can be engaged in safely, up the ante. Devise games and sports that have a goal, but also allow for plenty of undirected fun time.
Kids like to have a goal to strive for, but attaching adult-sized stress for prizes can hinder the basic purpose of the activity. Whether it’s soccer or swimming, gymnastics or just tossing a ball, keep it fun. Keep it focused on the child’s needs, not the adults’ wishes.
At a certain age, say past 8 or 10 years old, cycling to school can do double duty, as both transportation and exercise. Even walking is fine when the circumstances allow. They’ll thank you years later when they have the opportunity to tell their kids how they walked a mile to school. In the snow. Barefoot. Carrying weights.
As they get to those ‘tween’ years, the level of activity can increase accordingly. Whether it’s more rigorous gymnastics routines, tennis, or running the level should be something that stretches them but doesn’t cause harm. Simple ’school type’ exercises can often be boring. Jumping jacks, push ups, and the like often look too much like a forced routine to kids. But they never tire of exercise disguised as fun. Of course, the disguise doesn’t have to look like a Halloween mask. It can be something that really is fun. Be creative.
The result will be higher self-esteem, a fit body, and the ability to carry out tasks safely that otherwise might cause harm. Obesity, poor focus, and other problems often start from lack of proper activity at an early age. But heart health, good eating habits, and a lifetime commitment to a wellness lifestyle are more likely when the right habits are established early.
Exercise, in the right form, is one important pillar of that structure.
Kristy Lee Wilson
Add comment January 7, 2009
