Family Fitness=Family Fun

I see so many families where mom and dad religiously go to the gym for the their workout while the children are in front of the Playstation with a bowl of nachos. I think that we need to focus on the health of our children at an early age. My 15 month old grandaughter already shows signs of challenging herself physically. Once she started crawling she wanted to be on that floor all the time so that she could travel on her own. We have a set of stairs going from the basement to the main floor of our house. She has been climbing those stairs for about a month. We have to be right behind her in case she falls but she is determined to get to the top every time. When she reaches the top, she screaches and kicks her legs to cheer herself on. She is starting to walk now and I can see the determination in her face that she is going to go further with each attempt.

I think that my daughter and her husband will not have a problem keeping her fit. She loves to watch my daughter do her Turbo Jam workouts. She kicks her legs and punches her arms while she watches her mom exercise. Her dad is a big sports fan so I am sure that he will start her in baseball or some form of sport when she is old enough. She has already been registered in swimming classes, mom and baby fitness and infant exercise and massage classes at her young age.

The key to keeping children active is to find an activity that is fun for them. Not all children are created equal. Certain activities may not appeal to one child where then next one will love the same activity. When my daughter was three, I registered her for a gymnastics class at the local community center. She really liked the class but she did not have the coordination to do the different tumbles. My younger daughter started a gymnastic class at the same age. She was a natural but she decided that she would rather watch the activity than do it. So I realized that gymnastics was not the right activity for either child.

Finding something that a child will like can be a trial and error process. Some children are naturals when it comes to organized sports such as baseball or soccer. Other children will excel at more individualized sports such as skating, track and field, gymnastics or swimming. All of these activities have obvious fitness benefits and no one activity is better than the other. Again, I am emphasizing the fun factor for the individual child.

Many children benefit from martial arts classes. Most dojos offer classes specific for children. My husband taught a children's class in Aikido when our children were young. He taught the basic moves but also incorporated different games to keep the children interested. Most of the games involved running to help with their cardio. Aikido and other martial arts are excellent for muscular coordination, stability, flexibility and self esteem for the child. If your child is interested in the martial arts, it is important to check out the dojo and the instructor teaching the class. Some competition is good but it is more important for the instructor to emphasize individual competition. My nephew and niece are taking a children's Tae Kwon Do class, and they are thrilled when they can accomplish a new move. My brother says that my nephew comes home from school and does his stretches every day. He is challenging himself with his new moves rather than challenging others.

Once the child finds an activity that he or she enjoys, they are more likely to continue with the activity as an adult. My oldest daughter took an aerobics class for preteens and teens when she was eleven years old. My friend was the instructor and told me that my daughter had a natural sense of rhythm and did well in the class. As an adult she still prefers this type of activity over some type of organized sport. She has a gym membership and attends many of the fitness classes offered by the gym. Like mother, like daughter I guess.

If your child really does not like to play baseball or take swimming lessons, maybe you could encourage them to ride their bikes with the family. Sometimes family hikes can be fun and it keeps everyone in the family fit and healthy. We often went on bicycle rides as a family when the kids could finally ride a bike. We actually had an infant seat for one of the bikes so we could take the kids as babies for bicycle rides. Remember to get helmets for everyone. Safety is very important.

Playing hide and seek or tag with the kids, helps to keep them active. Any activity that is fun and will keep their interest will keep them active. An unhealthy child will most likely be an unhealthy adult. It is important to establish healthy habits now and hopefully, they will keep them through their long and healthy life.