Fitness and Kids

Learn a Fitness Exercise

Fitness and kids often get mixed up with other apparently similar issues such as kids and sports and games. So, let me clarify at the outset as we go on to my Tip No.3 which is One Fitness Exercise for your child. Fitness for kids should ideally be seen as separate from these other things for the following reasons

• Some kids might hate sports and games but find fitness a bearable idea.

• Fitness is not competitive.

• Sports may be more injury prone.

• Fitness can be undertaken at one's own pace.

• A healthy alternative for non-athletic, shy kids who can't stand limelight.

Fitness for kids, therefore, is not to be confused with sport. While sport is definitely a way of keeping fit, a fitness exercise educates the child as regards his health. This is to be a lifestyle choice and not about winning or losing, or something meant to win you medals or glory. Most children spent hours glued to the television and computer and emerge years later as obese young adults who leave the couch to visit the fridge.

When on the topic of fitness it is but natural that thoughts turn immediately to crowded gyms, filthy gym equipments, hefty membership fees, and unreasonable cancellation fees. Then there's the unavoidable stress of not being able to keep going for any number of reasons, real or imagined, that nags at you and makes you feel useless and stupid.

What I have in mind is a simple, easy introduction to a fitness habit that has nothing to do with unreasonable regimens or gyms or young adults with muscles bulging out of their sleeves and shorts instructing you into an uncoordinated mess. All you need to invest is of yourself and your time. This is also your chance to turn off that T.V and get that circulation going.

Fitness for Fun

Kid's fun fitness ideas are many and what you choose should be well suited to your child's temperament. Most kids find rebounding a fun thing to do. When it comes to fitness and kids, the main attraction here is that it doesn't seem like a fitness regiment at all but a fun game verging on crazy. All you have to do is ensure you have the right equipment with all safety concerns taken care of. What could be easier than getting your daughter a skipping rope and one for yourself while you're at it. Tonnes of fitness right there as you laugh your heads off in glee at the missteps and tangles.

Doesn't it make infinitely more sense to join in your kid's fun fitness and thereby also spend more quality time together in a real fruitful way? So, ditch that gym, and head for your backyard or the park. Enjoy a game of hopscotch, or pretend how hard it was to catch that ball your toddler threw at you. Take a leisurely biking trip around the block or in the park where it's safer and less polluted.

Kid's fun fitness sometimes prompts well-meaning parents into buying all sorts of gaily coloured plastic equipments and planting them in the backyard. Well, it might give the impression that you've given them the best and hats off to you as you head back indoors and grab that remote.

Think again. Plastic toys are known to be toxic if they have stuff such as Bisphenol A or BPA on them. For that matter, this toxic coating is so widely prevalent it can be found in tin can lining and shopping receipts, the ones that appear glossy. So, watch what your kids put in their mouths and please, refrain from feeding them out of cans.

Fitness for fun can be turned up a notch as your child grows. Do not let that childhood love for fitness activities lag for want of your attention. What you as parent need to do, is make sure they have an active lifestyle. Pilates, ballet, yoga, kick boxing, aerobics, and tai chi are just a few examples you can start them on when you decide they are ready. Take an active interest in their health; consult your health professional and find out when the right time is to start your child on the road to fitness.

As the child grows, they are bound to focus on one or two of these many fitness ideas that you have exposed them to. You can feel justifiably proud that you have set them off to a good start on the road to a fit, healthy lifestyle rather than let them languish on a couch with a bag of chips.

Fitness and Kids Benefits

Kid's fitness activities are not just for the body. They also teach co-ordination, concentration, and an awareness of physical endurance and capacities. Your child learns to value her body, respect it, and take care of it. Such a lifestyle may help protect to a considerable extent against common colds and flu outbreaks by increasing immunity and stamina.

Children who have been exposed to this healthy life-style are known to develop good choices later on such as healthy eating and a generally optimistic outlook on life. All you have to do is take that acorn to a yoga class and you'll soon have a healthy, cheerful oak that you'll be immensely proud to introduce as your child.