The number of overweight and obese children around has reached worrying levels, which is why you need to find a way to prize your kids away from the TV and their smartphone for a short while, and getting them to enjoy a fun workout to improve their fitness.
Children need guidance, especially in their formative years, if they are going to stay on track and not become vulnerable to ill-health through a lack of proper exercise or become susceptible to additions.
You can read news from Alcohol Recovery Centre regarding the work they do to help young people who are trying to recover from an addiction, In terms of ensuring your child has a fitter future, here is a look at how you might be able to encourage them to exercise regularly, by making workouts fun.
Exercise has a different meaning to kids
When adults turn their mind to thoughts of exercise and getting fit, they will often conjure up an image that involves working out in the gym and lifting some weights for example, but exercise is viewed quite differently by your kids.
Exercise for most children will invariably be more focused on simply having some fun and getting fitter as a result of playing or taking part in some sports, rather than having any thoughts about visiting the gym to do a workout.
The many benefits of regular exercise
There is no doubt that everyone can benefit from regular exercise, and kids are no exception.
If you can encourage your child to participate in regular exercise, they will often enjoy stronger muscles and bones, as well as having a leaner body, due to the fact that regular exercise will play a strong part in helping to control their levels of body fat.
As well as greatly improving their odds of becoming obese, your child will decrease their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and enjoy lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Being fitter will normally ensure that your child is emotionally fitter too, meaning they enjoy a better sleep pattern and have a more positive mental outlook.
Encouraging them to work out
Now that you know all of the benefits attached to getting your kids to exercise regularly, all you have to do is find a suitable way of encouraging them to get the workout that they need.
What you need to find is the best type of workout that is child-friendly. You also need to find an exercise or series of different challenges that will keep them motivated and encourage them to continue to keep on track with their chosen routine.
An important point to note about any sort of exercise, is that whatever age you happen to be, you need to warm up before exercising, if you are going to help avoid a potential injury. A good five or ten minutes of light exercise such as walking, should get your child nicely warmed up for some more vigorous challenges after.
Exercises to consider
You might want to get your child to try ski-jumps, to work on their arms and legs. A ski-jump involves adopting a standing position with your left leg and arm in front of you, and your right arm and leg in the back position.
Then slightly bend your knee so that you adopt a running position, followed by a jump up in the air whilst swinging your arms and legs in an opposite direction, before you land back on the floor again.
Alternate the left and right side from the original starting position and repeat up to ten times, depending on your initial level of fitness.
Other exercise routines that are normally considered suitable for kids wanting to workout, include an alternate toe-touching routine and squat thrusts.
It is recommended that you get some help and advice from a trained instructor so that you ensure that the exercise routine is appropriate and that they are being performed correctly.
Finding the motivational key
Motivation is all about making a behavioral choice that allows you to increase your effort, show a good level of persistence and feeling like you have achieved something after your workout.
If you can find what interest and challenges your child in equal measure, as well as making physical activity as much fun as possible, you will have found their motivational key and be helping them towards a fitter future.
When you look at current obesity rates amongst children, being able to motivate your child towards better fitness, should be considered one of your primary goals.
Abby Howe is a Mom who is a fitness freak, working as a personal fitness instructor 3 days a week. She is keen to help parents find ways to get their kids active and shares ideas in her articles.
