Fitness WAHM

Running: A Great Exercise for Kids

Developing basic physical skills including running and jumping are one of the key elements in early childhood.  Experts advise that these activities should be utilized in game play, which helps to develop a child’s movement skills.  As the child grows, and depending upon what area a child shows particular interest, this too can be enhanced through exercise.

Considered to be a great cardiovascular exercise, running is one of the best physical activities for kids.  At school, for example, some kids are not afforded the opportunity to work up to a full exercise routine due to time constraints.  They may have 15 to 20 minutes of play in the schoolyard.  However, running can be a family routine which engages the child to begin exercise at an early age.

Experts recommend beginning exercise regimens early so that a child will develop an interest in physical activity, which can only benefit them as they grow to adulthood.  Toddlers love to run around the house.  One can take that pent-up energy and mold it into a routine that will afford kids the opportunity to run in parks and playgrounds in order to work up to a cardiovascular exercise appropriate to their age.

Kids love to run.  As small children, it is a fun activity as long as there aren’t races to win or goals to achieve.  But as they grow older, they may view running as a sport in which they begin to set goals for themselves.  As long as it is enjoyable for them, and they can set their own pace, running will become a natural physical activity they will engage in throughout their lives.

Experts advise that “children under the age of 14 should run no more than three miles at a time.”  If you and your family are engaged in this exercise, allow the kids to begin slowly and run at their own pace.  Since they are still growing, they are more vulnerable to injury.

Not too many years ago you could expect children and teens to get exercise during gym class at school as well as spending time outdoors playing or riding bicycles. However, with the popularity of televisions, computers, and gaming systems, children and teens are spending less time in physical activity and more time being sedentary. Your goal is to keep your teenager fitness motivated as they grow.

Everyone knows the importance of maintaining a healthy body, but that doesn’t mean that they do what’s best in order to stay healthy. Quite often this means they’ll sit around instead of being active. They may also eat too much or the wrong foods which leads them to gain an unhealthy amount of weight.

To combat extra weight, it’s important for teens to be active every day. Not only will they be healthier, they’ll also have more energy and feel better about their selves. Taking the time to get and stay healthy while they’re young will also help teens prevent serious diseases in the future. Diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis are just a few of the diseases that may be avoided.

Most experts recommend that teens get a minimum of one hour of physical exercise, preferably each day of the week. Unfortunately, children tend to stop being active as they reach their teens. If they’ve played organized sports in the past, they may even drop out of them in favor of other non-physical activities.

Encourage them to try a new sport. Sports are more than baseball, basketball, soccer, and football. There is also gymnastics, skateboarding, swimming, tennis, dancing, or ice skating. Purchase some free weights and set them up at your home. You can take up working out with your teen as a way to help them stay fitness motivated.

Give your teen the opportunity to choose which sport they’ll be involved in or what they’ll do to stay physically active. What they choose to do to keep themselves moving isn’t nearly important as the fact that they are moving and that they do it regularly.

Being physically active can increase your teen’s self-esteem, can reduce stress, and help them do better in school. There are so many benefits to being fitness motivated that it’s hard to imagine anyone preferring to be otherwise.

Find fun activities that you can enjoy with your teen. Perhaps you both need to start out slowly. You may be able to find a walking trail the two of you can go to. Re-learn to roller skate or learn how to in-line skate. Whatever you and your teen choose, you may want to be sure that the activity is something you’ll continue doing and that will fit into your schedule.

If you’re concerned about how inactive your teen is these days, you probably recognize the importance of keeping your teen fitness motivated. Give them options, join in the fun, and watch how they’ll soon stop their sedentary ways.

Each year there are famous athletes that are paraded across the news for using performance-enhancing drugs. Unfortunately, there are so many young athletes that look up to them. Many follow in their idol’s footsteps and begin using these drugs as well. When it comes to performance-enhancing drugs and your teen athlete, you want to talk to them and see what they think.

Teenage athletes may not think about the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs, especially when their favorite athletes use them. They may think if they use these drugs, too, they’ll be as good as their idol. What they don’t realize is that these drugs aren’t a shortcut to sports supremacy; they could very well lead to death.

Performance-enhancing drugs and supplements promise to boost an athlete’s performance, enhance their physical appearance, and increase muscle mass and strength. Unfortunately they can also be harmful, especially to young men and women who may use or abuse them.

What is it about these performance-enhancing drugs that makes them desirable? What do they promise that causes athletes of nearly every age to take them?

* Creatine is a compound that your body naturally creates, but it can also be found over the counter as a supplement. Using this compound helps athletes recover after a workout. It also promises to increase muscle mass and strength. Besides the good that it can do, it can cause weight gain, nausea, and muscle cramps. If taken incorrectly or in large amounts, it can cause kidney damage.

* Anabolic steroids are the most common performance-enhancing compounds. They build muscle and increase strength which is why bodybuilders and football players use it so often. This drug can halt bone growth which can be particularly hazardous for teens that are still growing. They can also cause heart and liver damage.

* Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is the only steroid precursor that is available over the counter. All other forms are illegal without a prescription. They are used to build muscle mass and have similar side effects as those of steroids.

It’s important for your teenage athlete to know that you love them, no matter how well they perform in sports. You may want to discuss your expectations of them as an athlete and you as a parent. Let them know their health and safety is more important than athletic prowess.

Don’t expect your teenage athlete to bring up the subject of using performance-enhancing drugs. Instead, you’ll want to broach the subject. Talk to your teen about the proper way to care for their body, and how doing so will help them be a better athlete naturally. Most importantly, explain to your teenager how dangerous these performance-enhancing drugs are, especially to still-growing teenage bodies.

Teenage athletes want to be successful at their chosen sport. They may feel that using performance-enhancing drugs is the only way to accomplish that. Remember that your teenage athlete is smarter than you may give them credit for. It’s alright if you ask them tough questions. Do your best to talk to them so they understand your expectations and concerns about performance-enhancing drugs and their potential use or use of them.

Exercise Safety Tips for Kids

It is estimated that over 3 million kids suffer injuries when exercising, whether it’s running, bike riding, or becoming overheated due to overexertion.  In an effort to avoid any injuries, kids need to follow safety guidelines when involved in any form of rigorous or playful exercises.

Running:  Stretching exercises should be performed to prepare the body for any type of physical activity.  In addition, kids should cool down after each activity.

Bike Riding:  Wearing a helmet, elbow and knee pads will protect kids from serious injury if they fall off or have a collision while riding.

Sports:  When playing any type of sport, proper gear should be worn to protect kids from injury, including helmets, and knee and elbow pads.  Notice should be taken to ensure the playground or park is in ideal condition for kids to play, as well as any equipment utilized in parks such as swings, monkey bars, teeter-totters, and other stationary equipment which kids utilize.

Dehydration:  When running or engaging in any sport, drinking water should be a primary concern so that kids do not overheat and/or pass out from heat exhaustion.

Health:  Before any kids begin exercise routines or participate in sports, it is a good idea to have them checked by a physician to ensure they are physically able to exercise in any form.  Some kids may be limited due to conditions such as asthma.

Supervision:  Kids who play in parks or on sports teams require supervision, that is, a parent or sports doctor who can assist an injured child while, at the same time, ensuring the kids are having a good time.

Exercising can be a fun activity, but oftentimes kids may not realize they are overexerting themselves and can run into a problem.   More importantly, they may feel invincible when taking on an exercise such as bike riding or team sports and not wear the proper equipment.  Encouraging kids to exercise and participate in sports is important, but teaching them the proper way to do it, without injury, is paramount.

Teach Your Child about Fitness with Fun

From their earliest years, children mimic parents.  Whether it’s clapping or making sounds, toddlers who watch Mom and Dad dance or jump try to follow the same moves. Children’s shows also encourage kids to exercise in a fun and unique way.

There are a variety of ways to teach your child about fitness, why it’s important, how to get them interested enough to participate, and show them it’s actually fun as well.

Perhaps you have toddlers at home and have an exercise routine of your own.  For example, you put an exercise DVD on every morning while your child watches from the playpen.  Suddenly, your child is mimicking your every move.  This is where it begins.
Mom is having fun and so is the child.

As your child grows, and your exercise routine involves walking, you may begin by utilizing a stroller, then later on, having the child walk with you, hand in hand.  Eventually, you may begin jogging with your now-older kid beside you, keeping up with every step.

Fitness doesn’t have to be a laborious exercise.  It can be fun utilizing creative and new methods to make it so.  If you have a good time exercising, your child will too.  Physical fitness is important for children as well as adults, and the more you incorporate fitness into your daily routine, the more your child will inevitably want to follow in your footsteps.

Children learn from being taught.  If your home is filled with physical activity, your child will consider it a normal part of growing up and will conform to the activities you engage in every day.

If you put on a Dancercise® DVD, for example, your child will participate.  So too, with family participation, exercise will become a daily routine and no second thoughts will be given to why it shouldn’t be done, but rather how much fun it is to do.

Kids Who Jump Rope Have a Healthy Heart

One of the activities we all looked forward to during lunch recess was going out to the schoolyard and jumping rope. Engaging in double-dutch rope jumping was the best and most fun activity we enjoyed. Today, kids are still enjoying this physical activity and have even taken it up a notch or two.

While the benefits of jumping rope are numerous, it does play a vital role in keeping kids’ hearts healthy. Even adults who utilize jumping rope find the cardiovascular workout to be even more effective than running or walking. While some of us had a problem trying to jump in to the spinning ropes, kids seem more adept at establishing their foot, hand, and eye coordination at an early age.

Jumping rope is not only great for the heart, but helps in losing weight as well. Even single rope jumping can become an intense workout. While some kids may not be as coordinated as Rocky, there are wonderful videos available for exercises that can teach anyone how to add new techniques to rope jumping.

As mentioned earlier, jumping rope is a great way to burn calories and lose weight. In addition, the workout utilizes all of the muscles in the body. For kids jumping rope, it is a necessary ingredient in building strong bones, which is important to them as they grow older.

While jumping rope in our day was a fun way to release pent-up energy, it has become an art form today for kids. With all of the maneuvers and techniques used, it’s a great way to maintain a healthy heart, increase energy, and keep the body physically fit.

Instead of watching TV or playing video games, encourage your kids to jump rope. If you excelled in this activity, perhaps you can teach your kids a few tricks as well.

Spending time together as a family should be a priority.  Parents who spend more time with their kids are more likely to have kids who stay out of trouble.  Not only that, it makes memories that last a lifetime.  Not only can it help a family build better relationships, it can lead to better health.  There are many options available for families to do together.  By exercising as a family it helps develop good habits early that can last a lifetime.

The simplest, and cheapest, is to just go for a walk together.  It gives you time to talk and see what is going on in your children’s lives.  You could also take a drive to a nearby park and walk there for a change in scenery.  The park also provides space for more vigorous activities, such as football, softball or just running around playing tag.

Many families enjoy riding bikes together.  Some communities even have special biking trails to make it safer for cyclists.  You can also take time to teach the kids safety and how to maintain their own bikes.

Swimming is another great form of exercise as well as an important safety skill.  Check into getting a family pass to the local pool.  The Y often has special deals on family membership packages.  Even going once or twice a week will provide quite a bit of exercise and family time.

Is there a family sports league in your neighborhood? If not, start one.  Rotate the sports by season, offering softball, basketball, soccer or flag football.  It could even be grownups vs. the kids.  Teams could be randomly assigned by drawing names.  There could be end of season parties, serving healthy foods, with maybe a few sweet treats for dessert.

Martial arts are very popular for both kids and adults. Don’t think it’s too late to start learning a martial art.  Even grandparents can learn a martial art, as most instructors are willing to work with a student at their level.  While you might not be in the same class together, you can practice as a family at home together.

Bowling is another fun way to spend family time and get some exercise.  Joining a parent-child league can be a lot of fun. In addition to being fun exercise, it helps teach hand eye coordination and patience, like when the younger siblings’ balls seem to take forever to roll down the lane.

It is also a good idea to do more than one activity, as not everyone will enjoy the same thing.  Let the kids each pick what they will enjoy and then the parents can divide up their time between the different activities, allowing for some more one-to-one time with the kids.