http://www.parenting.com/article/50-ways-to-get-kids-psyched-about-fitness?page=0,0
Kid-friendly crazy-fun activities guaranteed to instill a lifelong love of exercise.
Now it's time to think about upping the amount of activity your family gets each day. Since when do tykes who are barely out of diapers (or perhaps still in them!) need to "work out"? "As soon as they can crawl!" says Avery Faigenbaum, Ed.D., a professor of health and exercise science who specializes in pediatrics at The College of New Jersey, in Ewing. But of course we aren't talking about the same sort of fitness routine you put yourself through (or think about, anyway). Exercise tot-style is really all about the physical play that young kids engage in pretty much whenever they have a chance. "Children this age are innately active," says Faigenbaum, "but in a very different way than adults are. You'll never see a child jog for thirty minutes without stopping. He'll run around for five or ten seconds, stop, then run again."
And that's just as it should be. The workout objectives of toddlers and preschoolers are different from the fitness goals of grown-ups; little kids don't need to get their heart rates into a certain range, for example. Sure, activity is important for building stamina, strengthening bones and muscles, and honing balance and coordination. But at this age, it's most vital for developing fundamental movement skills -- running, jumping, throwing, catching, kicking, climbing, and the like -- and establishing healthy habits. "Negative and positive behaviors are ingrained in early childhood," notes Faigenbaum. And that applies to exercise. Your kid is a natural fitness buff (does she ever really sit still?!). The trick is to keep her that way. "A body in motion tends to stay in motion," says personal trainer and Parenting Mom Squad member Larysa DiDio of Pleasantville, NY, the coauthor of Sneaky Fitness: Fun, Foolproof Ways to Slip Fitness Into Your Child's Everyday Life. On the following pages, you'll find a guide to the physical milestones the 5-and-under set should achieve, great toys that will help them do it, and a menu of activities to keep it all fun. The goal: to set your child up for the healthiest future possible. Let's get started!
Too cute! I always love when my kids would try to imitate me when I workout at home, too!
Quoting Thelmama:
My kids love to work out with me, always have. They were funny as toddlers when they thought the noises I made was part of the work out and imitated me. LOL LOL LOL
I agree. The best course of action is to be active yourself!
Quoting dusky_rose:
My youngest son loves to be active. If they see you doing it, they will want to also.
I can't wait for it to warm up. I miss being outside a couple times a week at the parks, playgrounds, nature preserves, etc in our area!
Quoting TigerofMu:
It was sunny today, so we went over to the bike path and ran up and down for ten minutes - it wasn't muddy, and we couldn't go any longer because the wind was so cold!
Getting him active is no problem. Keeping up with him is.....
I hear that!
Quoting new_mom808:
Getting him active is no problem. Keeping up with him is.....
I do very much believe in turning off the tv (and all other electronic devices) and just letting them play. They tend to do all these physical things when left to their own devices!
But it certainly is a good idea to initiate these as well. I definitely agree that modeling the behavior can be the best way to get them moving.
The Mom Below Me Game
- Vertical15
on Feb. 12, 2013 at 12:13 PM