“Talented kids are everywhere. We just have to develop the means to identify them and then expose them to well-planned and methodical training.” Bompa .1985.
How do I choose the right exercise for my child?
The modern life and hectic lifestyle of many families nowadays is increasingly made up of driving, TV, video games, mobile phones, laptops and tablet computers , all of which add to the growing rate of sedentary lifestyles and health issues attached to that. Then there is the increasing consumption of convenience food which, more often than not, lacks the array of nutrients we require.
Busy parents are finding less and less time for recreation and making the right activity choices for their children.
And if they are not active themselves, it becomes even harder to encourage and inspire their offspring to adopt healthy, active habits. When discussing children’s health these days , people frequently mention words like stress, obesity, heart disease. The reason is that fitness is far from a priority in the everyday lives of many children.
How to decide which exercise and activity, is right for your child and how to fit it into your everyday schedules…
- The most important thing to remember is – your child is an individual and unique, so what works for other children might not necessarily engage your child.
- Genetics and your personal example does matter!
If you have been active in childhood, participating in different sports or activities, this can reflect in your child’s attitude and sport’s preferences too. But your present lifestyle, and appreciating fitness and sports as a parent, can hugely influence your child’s motivation & understanding of importance of fitness, and being involved in physical activities regularly.
- Children go through rapid and significant stages in their physical development, so their preferences for physical activities could change over time. This is normal.
- Remember that the chronological and biological age of your child are two different things, hence only experienced coaches or children’s sports specialists/children’s personal trainer can suggest how your child’s biological age can determine your child’s future physical potential to achieve high sports performance.
- Very important to remember that variety of training and fitness regimes in early stages of a child’s development is crucial, as for some “technical” sports – ligaments, tendons, joints require an adaptation in training, so future injuries could be avoided and efficient progress can be achieved too.
- Psychological aspects: encouragement, personal example, positive thinking, possibly limit or absence of competitions in the early stages of training (it can discourage some to exercise further) could have an enormous effect on whether children choose to move in a positive or negative direction of the fitness journey.
- Your child has to feel motivated to participate in fitness activity and rewards are also important here. On the other hand, just engaging in activities for personal enjoyment and as a challenge should be prioritised too.
- Remember, your child will perform better at school too, as exercises will help with concentration, time priorities, sleep patterns, discipline and stress levels too – which is crucial during exams particularly later on in their education, when they will need to manage their own dairy.
- A healthy overall lifestyle with good choices are most important because your child’s nutrition, sleep pattern and stress levels – can determine sooner or later if they can sustain the sports, activities and exercise routines you have helped guide and encourage them towards.
- A healthy overall lifestyle with good choices are most important because your child’s nutrition, sleep pattern and stress levels – can determine sooner or later if they can sustain the sports, activities and exercise routines you have helped guide and encourage them towards.
References:
- T.Bompa “Junior Champions Preparation”, 2003
- C.Hinson”Fitness for Children”, 1995
- Dr. Robert Parker ,”Effects of Exercise on Growth and Development of Children”, FitPro convention, 2006
Original article published here: http://watchfit.com/exercise/fitness-children-setting-right-path/