7 Fun Cardio Exercises for Kids

With all the T.V. shows, computer programs, and video games available now, it’s hard to get kids up and moving anymore. That’s one big reason why childhood obesity is becoming more and more prevalent. Getting your child in shape doesn’t have to be a fight; you just have to find activities they enjoy that are good for them as well. Here are some great workouts that will entertain your kids at the same time.

Tennis. If your child isn’t into traditional team sport, then tennis is a great alternative. It gives a great cardio workout while also working various muscle groups and improving hand-eye and overall coordination. Plus, even though your child isnít necessarily working on a team, tennis is a great way to meet and socialize with other kids.

Hacky sack. This is a simple cheap way to get your kids up and moving. It also teaches coordination, balance, and helps your kids socialize and work together in a group to accomplish something. Plus, unlike most group sports, there are no teams so children are trying to beat their old records instead of trying to win.

Dance. Sure, you can enroll your child in dance classes, or you could just turn on the radio a couple times a week and make up silly dances to go along with the songs. This not only encourages movement, balance, and coordination, it also work out kidís brains by getting them to be imaginative.

Video games. These have gotten a bad rap in the past few years, physical video games have come a long way since the original Nintendo. Now there are tons of products available that get your child to stand up and move. One popular game series is Dance Dance Revolution. There are also games on the new Nintendo Wii system that encourage physical movement. These are a fun entertaining way for your kids to get a workout while they play video games. And trust me; these are just as addictive as other video games.

Soccer. There’s a reason there are so many soccer mom’s around; because these moms know that soccer is a great way for children to get their heart rate up, improve their footwork skills, learn teamwork, and have fun at the same time. Plus, if you’re worried about the problem of intense competition, there are many areas with leagues that don’t keep score. This has been, and still is, a great way for your kids to stay in shape.

Swimming. Doing laps is a great way to get an aerobic workout without causing a lot of wear and tear on your child’s growing bones and joints. It’s fantastic and increasing endurance and stamina. Plus, a pool is a great place for them to hang out, play, and meet new kids in the neighborhood during the summer.

Jumping rope. This is a great workout whether it’s done the traditional way, or the newer more faced paced version. This can help your child meet new people, and some areas even have it as a competitive sport.

So why not get your child involved in one of these great activities? You could even get a workout yourself by joining them or just helping them practice regularly.

Please feel free to email me at wilsonk92@mac.com

Kristy Lee Wilson

Why Exercise May Help Battle Teen Depression

Are you worried about your teen? Has their behavior changed recently and you think they might be depressed? If your teen is depressed, you’ve probably looked into antidepressants and found yourself even more concerned, and you should be. Drugs designed to fight depression in adults can actually increase the incidence of suicide and other destructive behavior in teens. There are other options. While seriously depressed teens should visit a therapist, some symptoms can also be alleviated through regular exercise. Exercise works directly, and indirectly, to help relieve many of your teens depression symptoms.

While there are other benefits, exercise itself can directly improve the mood of your teen. Exercising produces chemicals in your system that work to improve your mood. While the effect is short term, regular exercise can help improve your teen’s mood even when they’re not exercising. As an added bonus, many children and teens in this country are overweight and obese. Regular exercise will help fight these diseases and leave your child healthier as well. And when you’re healthy, you feel better and are less worn down.

A major factor in teen depression is low self esteem. By helping your child improve their physical appearance, you can help improve the way they feel about themselves. Regular exercise will help your child look and feel better. Even if physical results are minimal, exercise can help make your child feel better about the way they look.

As I already said, low self esteem is a big factor in teen depression, but it’s not entirely determined by how they look. A lot of teens opinions about themselves come from how they think others feel about them. There are plenty of exercise opportunities for teens that involve socializing, such as team sports. These will allow your child to meet new people and make new friends. Even if they’re not good enough to make their schools team, there are plenty of other opportunities through the YMCA and other sport clubs.

One big factor in determining whether or not a teen will become depressed is whether or not they have a depressed parent. A teen with a depressed parent may be up to 6 times more likely to become depressed than other teens. This may be caused by genetics, or simply by becoming depressed through exposure. Whatever the reason, there’s great news. All the depression fighting benefits of exercise for teens also apply to adults. So if you’re feeling a little down, why not take your teen to the gym or out for a run around the block. You’ll not only be exercising, you’ll also have some quality time to spend with your child.

So talk to your teen, and then get them up and moving. With regular exercise, your son or daughter will feel better in no time.

Kristy Lee Wilson

Benefits of Strength Training for Children

When most people think of strength training, they imagine big buff body builders. Contrary to popular belief, when done properly, strength training can be safe and very beneficial to your child.

Helps with sports performance
Many pre teens want to start a strength training program to improve their sports capabilities. When done properly, strength training can help your child become a better athlete. Just remember that it should be used to help sport performance, not be a sport itself. Pre teens and teens bodies are not ready for extreme muscle building.

Can prevent injuries
The stronger your child is, the less likely they are to hurt themselves when participating in other physical activities. You may think that they can hurt themselves through strength training, but injuries are usually minor when proper technique is used.

Improves child’s stamina
This is helpful when it comes to sports, but can be a plus in all aspects of life. Improved stamina can help your child get through long, physically and mentally demanding days with less pain and stress.

Improves overall health
Strength training can strengthen bones, lower cholesterol, improve heart and lung function and help your child maintain a healthy body composition.

Teaches healthy exercise practices
With the high percentage of obese children today, most parents should be concerned about teaching their child healthy exercise practices, and strength training is one way to do it. They’ll learn to be able to stick with a healthy exercise program and not overdo it. For this reason, you should also incorporate regular aerobic activity into your child’s schedule.

Builds self esteem
A lot of how your child feels about themselves comes from the way they look. If they start looking and feeling better, they’ll feel better about themselves. They will also build their self esteem knowing that they can set goals and achieve them in a healthy manner.

While many people promote strength training for children, there are some safety concerns. If you’re going to let your child do strength training, make sure it is done properly.

Don’t start too young
In order to master strength training, a child must be able to do the movements with proper form. Young children are still learning to control their motor functions and shouldn’t e distracted by building muscle.

Visit your child’s pediatrician
Your doctor can not only tell you if your child is physically capable of starting strength training, they can also refer you to a trainer who specializes in youth fitness to help choose an appropriate exercise program for your child.

Start slow
Make sure your child has mastered the basic movements before allowing weights or other forms of resistance to be added. Many injuries in strength training are caused by incorrect form. In order to keep your child healthy, be sure they can perform the activity correctly without resistance before letting them use weights. Remember to ad weights slowly. This is meant to help your child, not get them stronger as fast as possible. A child should be able to do 15 reps of an exercise properly before moving on to more resistance.

If you follow these safety guidelines, you will start to see all the benefits to your child’s life in no time.

If you have any questions regarding your child’s health and fitness, or would like help getting your child started on a fitness program … contact me. As a gymnastics coach I have over 10 years experience working with children of all ages.

Kristy Lee Wilson

Ways to Add Exercise to Your Child’s Day

Childhood obesity is becoming a growing problem in many countries. Some situations are so bad that children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a disease that used to be isolated to older, overweight adults. As parents, it is your responsibility to help keep your child’s weight and health in check. A great way to do this is by getting your children to exercise more often. This can help them to lose weight and simply be healthier.

Here are a few tips to help you get your child up and moving:

Sign them up for group sports.

These are not only a great way to get a workout, they also promote socialization and self pride. Plus, most kids think sports are fun. If you find a sport your child really likes, they’ll want to practice all the time and they will therefore be getting more and more exercise. Try to enroll your child in a sport that promotes aerobic activity.

Don’t rely completely on sports.

Some kids just don’t like sports. If this is the case, you need to make adjustments to the plan. If they really don’t enjoy it, find something else for them to do. Many fitness centers offer classes for children including martial arts, dance, and even yoga.

Work out together.

Children learn a lot of their behavior from their family. That means, if you sit around all day and don’t work out, that’s probably what they’re going to do. You should set a good example for your child by getting regular exercise. A great way for you to both get a workout is to find something you both enjoy and do it together.

Make it fun.

You may enjoy the quiet time you get running on a treadmill, but you’re child is probably going to complain. Instead of doing normal adult workout routines, make up games, play sports, or dance. It doesn’t really matter what it is, just make sure it’s fun and entertaining for your child. Just be creative.

Cut back on TV and video games.

The best way to keep your child from playing too many video games is to stop the problem before it starts. If you allow your child to veg in front of the TV for hours at a time and then cut back, they’re going to be angry. It’s best to limit times of inactivity from a young age. If you’re having trouble getting your kids to give up the games, buy games that require physical activity like Dance Revolution or the various games available on the Nintendo Wii. This is a great compromise where you both win.

Fit it in where you can.

Today some children have busy schedules just like adults do. If you don’t have a large open chunk of time for you kids to get exercise, you can squeeze in small activities when you do have a few free minutes.

These are just a few ways to get your children up and active. They may be resistant at first, but keep trying. Starting good exercise habits when your child is young is a vital part of a healthy adult lifestyle.

Get Fit and Stay Fit!

Kristy Lee Wilson

Obsessive Exercising in Teens

Most parents are aware of the signs and symptoms of eating disorders. Many even watch their child’s eating habits closely to make sure they aren’t developing a problem; however, they often overlook a problem that is just as serious and fairly common in teens: obsessive exercise. This is a condition where your teen feels they need to exercise hours a day to stay healthy and fit. Over exercising can cause problems ranging from short term fatigue, exhaustion, delay of puberty, to permanent physical injury. This is why it’s important to recognize the symptoms and how to prevent and treat this disorder.

Compulsive exercise is caused by many of the same issues that can trigger an eating disorder. Generally, the teen feels unhappy with their body image and exercises to fix it. They may also have been exposed to an overweight friend or relative and exercise to avoid becoming fat themselves. Compulsive exercisers have to be in control of all parts of their life. They feel that not exercising would leave them without control, which for them, is not an option.

The best way to avoid your child developing an obsessive exercise disorder is to teach them healthy exercise habits as early as possible. If you develop an exercise plan with your child when they’re young, making sure to set limits and boundaries, your child will be more likely to maintain healthy habits as they mature. An important part of teaching your child proper exercise habits, is to practice them yourself. Make sure to get enough exercise, but don’t overdo it.

You can also help prevent this condition from developing by helping your child develop a healthy body image. You can start this from a very young age by emphasizing that not ust skinny people are beautiful. You should also be sure to point out the positives of your child’s image. If your child is overweight, you don’t need to point it out to them; they already know. A better response would be to help your child maintain a healthy diet and exercise plan aimed at good health.

Along with preventing compulsive exercising, it’s also important to be able to recognize the symptoms and treat the disorder properly. The following are some of the most common danger signs to look for:

• Excessive physical exercise beyond normal limits.
• Obsessed with being thin.
• False body image (feels they are fat when they are dangerously thin).
• May have an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.
• Exercising when injured or exhausted, even if they are ordered not to.

If you think, or suspect, your teen has a problem with over-exercising, it is best to confront them in a calm manner. Explain to them what you see is wrong with their behavior and explain you want to help. If you are not comfortable talking to your child about it, talk to their coach or consult a therapist. It is important that your teen learns that what they are doing is unhealthy without feeling like they’re being persecuted.

Curing this disorder is a long and difficult process; that is why it’s important to take steps to keep your teen from compulsively exercising and learn to recognize the warning signs early.

Kristy Lee Wilson

Playing Together Benefits Children and Parents

In our busy hectic lives, it can be hard to work in play time with your children. However, to properly grow and learn, children need to actively play. By playing with your children, you can make sure they gain everything they need from play.

Physical activity.

While you want to let your child choose what they do and how they do it during play time, you can help encourage them to choose healthy physical activities. If they want to play a game, suggest hide and seek, tag, or anything else that will get them up and moving. Play also helps to support physical development. If a child sits in front of a TV all day, they’ll never develop their hand-eye coordination, balance , or other physical abilities as well as they could.

Bonding with parents.

There is nothing more important in building a child’s self esteem and feeling of safety than bonding with a parent. If a child knows that their parent is there for them, they’ll grow up to feel safer and more secure in the world around them. You may think it’s just talking and spending time with your child, but to them it’s about being loved and protected.

Getting more personalized help with issues.

If allowed to direct their own play, a child will reenact situations he or she finds important. They may also use the play time to vent emotional frustrations that they probably can’t describe verbally yet. By paying attention to your child’s behavior during play, you can determine what their concerns and frustrations are. Once you know the problem, it’s a lot easier to deal with and fix.

While playing with your child is obviously beneficial to them, it can also help you out as well. Here are just a few of the benefits of playing with your son or daughter.

Get to know your children.

Many parents of teenagers say that they know little or nothing about their child. A good way to know them is to start while they’re still young and work to keep it as they grow. Playing regularly with your children now may actually help you worry less about them when they’re older.

Helps you relax.

While children play, they create imaginary worlds and situations. If you are actively involved in your child’s imaginary worlds, it can help you forget the stress of the real world.

Promotes physical activity.

We all know how hard it is to stay active when there are deadlines to meet, bills to pay, and everything else to do. If we strive to keep our children active through play, we will end up being active with them.

Playing with your child is as simple as setting aside a block of time everyday. It may be difficult to rearrange your schedule, but it will be well worth it for you and your child.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or for further information.

Kristy Lee Wilson

Do Your Kids Exercise?

A recent study from the University of Washington showed that more and more 2-year olds are regularly watching television. This sets the stage for a sedentary life with an increased risk for obesity and heart disease.

Now that last statement wasn’t from the study – that was my own prediction.

But really, the statistics don’t lie – a study done at Johns Hopkins concluded that a child’s weight increases with the number of hours they spend in front of the television each day.

Are you cringing yet? What parent hasn’t popped in a DVD to occupy the kids for a few hours?

And what about your child’s diet? How often do you find yourself in the drive thru line ordering another cheeseburger and fries?

Childhood obesity is now described as an epidemic. It puts your child’s health at risk, and makes them more susceptible to problems involving their cardiovascular systems, endocrine systems, and even their mental health. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, depression, and low self-esteem are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the problems looming over the heads of overweight children.

I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know. It doesn’t take a study done at Johns Hopkins to discover that kids today are putting on weight in ways that we never did – you just have to open your eyes to notice.

The ‘why’ is simple. It goes back to the basic equation for weight gain: energy in versus energy out. Kids eat too much and do too little.

But I have to ask… are you setting a good example by your eating habits? This may be a painful question to want to answer – but the truth sometimes hurts (and is good for us).

Maybe you’ve noticed that your child has begun to put on a little extra weight – what do you do about it? No matter what age your child is – weight is a sensitive issue.

What do your kids eat?
Think about your child’s diet. Do they eat three balanced meals a day? Do they eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day? Are they limited in their servings of fried, processed, and sugary foods?

Maybe you aren’t sure what your kids are eating. Do some investigation by observing and talking to them about what they eat.

Identify the foods your kids are eating that are rich in calories but lacking in nutritional value. Examples: candy, fast food, chips, cookies, soda pop, and pizza. Replace these foods with fresh nutrient dense foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats and low fat dairy.

How much activity do your kids get?
Computers, video games, and satellite T.V. are our children’s latest and greatest toys. Who has time to play outside when you are about to beat the hardest level, or your favorite show is about to start? Our kids participate in less physical activity and are more sedentary than any generation before.

Do you know how much physical activity your kids get each day? Some parents may think that kids are getting an hour of P.E. each day, only to find out that the school has dropped its P.E. classes.

A great way to encourage activity is to limit the time your children spend on sedentary activities, such as T.V and video games. Sign your kids up on a local sports team so that they can run and be active with other kids. Take the whole family to the park on a weekend instead of gathering in front of the T.V.

Monkey see monkey do
This issue really boils down to one factor: Parental Example. Your kids watch what you do even when you wish they wouldn’t, and this is certainly true when it comes to diet and exercise.

Do you model good eating habits, or do your kids see you indulge? Do you exercise regularly, or do your kids see you on the couch in front of the television all weekend?

As a parent, it is your unique responsibility to teach your children the habits that lead to good health. Since you know that obese children have a greater chance of remaining obese into adulthood, thus greatly increasing the likelihood of serious health problems, this isn’t a responsibility that you take lightly.

If your eating habits and activity level have slipped it may be time for you to turn things around. It’s never too late to set a positive example for your kids – the key is to act now.

Get Fit and Stay Fit!

Kristy Lee Wilson

Children and Exercise

If you have a child of 6 to 8 years old that wants to start exercising and lifting weights, you may find yourself wondering what you should do. While some think it is perfectly fine for children to exercise, there are others that think differently.

The long and short of it is that yes, it is beneficial for your child to partake in exercise or a weight training regimen although there are a few things that you should keep in mind once this starts to happen.

No matter how you look at it, children aren’t miniature adults and therefore you can’t use the same methods with growing children that you can use with adults, as children are different from adults emotionally, anatomically, and physiologically.

All children have immature skeletons, as their bones don’t mature until they get 14 – 22 years of age. With girls, exercise during childhood can have very critical effects on bone health that can last for their entire lives.

Children are often times vulnerable to growth related overuse injuries such as Osgood schlatters disease. Children have immature temperature regulation systems due to their having a large surface area compared to their muscle mass, which will cause them to be more susceptible to injury when they aren’t properly warmed up.

Children don’t sweat as much as adults do, so they will be more susceptible to heat exhaustion as well as a heat stroke. Due to their low muscle mass and immature hormone system, it makes it harder for them to develop strength and speed. Their breathing and heart response during exercise are also different from an adults, which will affect their capacity for exercise.

On the other hand, young boys and girls can drastically improve their strength with weight training although opposed to adults, neurological factors instead of muscle growth factors are mostly responsible.

When you consider programs for children, first and foremost you should obtain a medical clearance. The first approach to designing a program is to establish a repetition range of 8 – 12 and keep the workload appropriate for the range.

You should ensure that workouts are spread out enough to have at least 1 – 2 full days of rest between workouts. The main focus when working out should be on the form of every exercise performed, and not on the amount of weight being lifted.

Before weight training, warm up and stretching should be done. Start your children off with light loads and then make adjustments accordingly. No more than 3 nonconsecutive exercise sessions should be done in a week. You should also see to it that they drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise. Getting enough water is very important with exercise, as it is often times very easy to get dehydrated – especially with children.

Get Fit and Stay Fit!

Kristy Lee Wilson

Exercise Is Good For The Young

Individuals under 20 are naturally more flexible, have higher metabolic rates and more energy than those older. But they, too, need to exercise (in appropriate ways) to avoid injury and build strength and endurance, avoid obesity and stay fit.

Particularly today, when there are so many electronic alternatives, young people may exercise less than they should. It’s during the formative years that individuals lay the groundwork for what later become healthy or poor habits. My Nutrition Store concurs that exercise along with proper nutrition is essential for the young to develop healthy habits that they will carry with them into their adult life. My Nutrition Store is proud to be offering My Kids Nutrition which will help families ensure that their Kids get the nutrition they need and will assist them in developing healthy habits.

Kids will usually become quickly bored with routines designed for adults. But the activity doesn’t have to involve organized group sports, either. A gentle jog with an adult, a tennis game, swimming, golf, martial arts, bicycling, dancing, gymnastics and many other sports are enjoyable for the younger crowd.

Kids are usually sensitive to anything that appears inconsistent or hypocritical from adults. Be prepared to follow your own advice and exercise with them. That also helps parents share quality time with their kids outside the house and during activities that benefit both. Parents get the added benefit of monitoring to ensure that the kids are exercising in a safe and proper way.

Like any routine, if it produces pain – even the day after – the individual is less likely to continue. Keep it simple and build up the difficulty and length gradually. Kids are more flexible, but they too need to warm-up and gently stretch before engaging in vigorous exercise. A few minutes of static and dynamic stretching will help avoid injury.

Exercise routines should take into account the age group of the individual child.

Children from about 4-7 should focus primarily on developing basic physical skills, such as coordination and balance. These are the years when motor skills, eye-hand coordination and other things adults take for granted are still fluid. Children take to these activities naturally, as well. Jumping rope, hopscotch and other simple activities help guide the development of these skills.

From the age of 8 or so, exercises can become more vigorous in order to keep that active metabolism from turning food into fat. Here again, though, adults need to guide kids in order to build good habits and avoid injury. Weight machines are almost always a bad idea for pre-teens, for example. They’re risky and unnecessary.

Gymnastics, by contrast, helps build on those basic motor skills learned earlier while developing strength, balance and keeping the endocrine system active and healthy.

For teens, the field is wide open. They have the basic bone and muscle structure that gives them the potential for high performance activity in a wide variety of activities. But here, too, the possibility of injury remains for those who don’t get the proper guidance.

Teens are inclined to roughhousing and rebelliousness. Give them an outlet that directs all that energy and independence to the achievement of positive goals – fitness, endurance, high scores.

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