Get them started young!
Fitness has always been a part of my life since the time I was a kid.
Playing various sports is how I got my fitness.
As I’ve gotten older and what I think is wiser, I’ve decided that fitness and good health will be something I am always an example of for my friends, family, and kids in the community.
Sports did a great job of keeping me active, but I wish I would have been exposed to training, nutrition, and better sleep earlier.
It wasn’t until probably middle school or early high school that training became a part of my life.
Even then it was something we did for sports.
And many times exercise was used as punishment and not a reward.
Sometimes when my mom comes to train, my niece and nephew come with her. They seem to have fun in my gym. They both love to swing on rings and trying to pick up medicine balls.
As a teacher, I see how inactive kids are these days and the last year of quarantine did no favors.
Kids should have the opportunity to be involved in fitness. The younger they start, the more likely it will be a part of their life. In order to build fitness into a kid’s life, it’s easy to make something that should be fun seem like punishment.
Exercise is going to help kids:
✅Build strength, speed, and coordination
✅Feel better. Move better. Get stronger.
✅Build confidence
To all the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and teachers who want to get their kids involved in fitness at an early age, I want to share some do’s and don’ts. These recommendations are for kids from 5-11ish.
Don’t:
❌Overwhelm them
❌Make it punishment
❌Copy some pro or college athlete program
❌Do endless amounts of running or number of reps
❌Specialize in one sport and one position
❌Push them over the limit
❌Shame, blame or guilt them
❌Turn it into conditioning
Do:
✅Join in
✅Make it fun
✅Keep it simple
✅Play games and use challenges
✅Encourage effort
✅Use playground equipment
✅Things they enjoy
✅Let them fall down and pick themselves back up
✅Movement over maxes
✅Include hopping, jumping, running, rolling, crawling, skipping, lifting, throwing, squatting, pushing, pulling, bending, balancing, swimming
What more can you add?
