Our kids don’t “exercise”, they play. And it makes all the difference.
As part of this month’s focus on teaching kids to take care of their bodies, today we’re talking movement! The Mayo Clinic says kids need 60 minutes of exercise a day (but not continuously) to thrive.
But it almost sounds ominous. Like another thing I have to figure out. Am I going to need a chart for this too? Many of my new students often do not know what to expect in a Yoga class or have general misconceptions about Yoga. This is not surprising as Yoga is often misunderstood. At one extreme, it is a pure spiritual practice that can corrupt your existing religious beliefs. At the other extreme, it is a set of powerful exercises done in dance like moves. In between these extremes, you have everything from indulging in carnal pleasure to levitation. To be honest, there is some truth in every version but as they say – half a truth is half a lie. It is important to have a general understanding of Yoga before attending a yoga studios near me. This is to ensure that your needs are aligned to what you can expect in a class. You can check this out luxury yoga retreats. As this article is not about finding the best meaning for Yoga, I will broadly summarize Yoga. The mysterious first yoga class is a time of discovery. You’ll discover that not every yoga practitioner is a highly committed, eco-conscious vegetarian; that designer gear will not help you into a difficult pose any sooner; and you will discover secrets about your body and your mind that even you never knew. Sound intriguing? Well that’s yoga for you! It’s more than just an exercise class. Yoga teachers have got your back – there’s no need to worry Yoga people tend to be a friendly bunch. The dynamics of each yoga class and each studio differ greatly but all should be welcoming and inclusive, not judgemental. Everyone in the class is an equal in the eyes of the teacher so stop worrying about your lack of knowledge or inability to touch your toes, it simply doesn’t matter. Here is the best gym design specialists.
Let’s not overcomplicate things here. The idea is simply moving, for the fun and joy of it. Not to punish anyone.
Remember when this went viral? Outside of a list about what food banks need most, this quote is the single most popular thing I’ve ever shared on Facebook. (And those two tidbits alone are the reason why I love this amazing little community here so much.)
All we need to do is inspire a love of movement.
That’s it.
To create conditions where running around, spinning on a swing, or hop-scotching your way across the yard is more fun than sitting in the couch.
For a few minutes at a time.
What I learned not to do
The thing I’ve discovered about trying to Work Out with my kids around is…it’s annoying. When my focus is on trying to get through a specific routine–yoga, weights, a brisk walk–it’s agonizing. That’s because we’re at odds. I’m trying to get in the zone. The kids are not. When I’m trying to concentrate, I get irritated when people whine, ask for a banana or start screaming that someone’s “being mean!”
Plus, this doesn’t really meet the goals of inspiring a love of movement. This inspires aggravation.
Instead, we’re much sillier these days.
I just let go of the idea that I’d do both at once and exercise when the kids go to bed. That just works better for me. Kickboxing in San Diego is still the plan.
To begin with, exercise for children is important because it helps fight obesity. Obesity has become an epidemic in America, and not just among adults. Children’s weight, too, has exploded in the last several years. In fact, the CDC reports that obesity rates in children today are three times what they were in the 1970s. Statistics indicate that almost 1 in 5 school age children in America is currently obese.
While many factors contribute to this rising weight gain, a primary factor involves the limited amount of exercise most children get regularly. Additionally, our diets have gotten worse while the amount of food we eat has increased. Simply put, our children eat too much and what they eat contains too much sugar and fat. On top of that, they just don’t get out and exercise enough to burn off those extra calories.
We all need exercise, and experts say that children need more than adults, up to 1 hour per day. All experts agree that exercise for children helps to fight obesity and limit unnecessary weight gain. This is important especially for young children so that they put practices in place early that will benefit them later in life. Also, recent studies have shown that obesity in young children can possibly have long lasting health consequences such as liver disease. Fighting obesity while your kids are still young can pay health dividends later in life, if you have any preference for indoor exercising than outdoor sporting then you better check out the best spin bikes.
When they’re up, they do stuff like this:
- Dance parties (turn on a CD and go!) or Just Dance (Wii)
- Bike riding obstacle courses (I set up cones in the driveway)
- Climbing & swinging on the play set
- Jumping on the trampoline
- Running around with our new puppies
And they have so much fun! My only job at this early stage is to encourage them to trust their growing bodies. To use every part of themselves every day.
In college I read about sailing on https://outdoorempire.com/finding-best-binocular-reviews/, found myself intrigued so I took a sailing class and the whole thing was taught by TAs. One of the guys, who couldn’t have been more than 22 at the time himself, was so discouraged one day as he towed a tiny sailboat along the dock. “These guys don’t even know how their bodies work,” he complained about college kids who couldn’t step on and of the boats without trepidation, or worse, falling in the lake. It was a throwaway comment, but it’s lasted all these years.
Use your body. Trust your body. Love your body. That’s what it’s there for. Nothing more, nothing less.
Planning for bigger adventures
I don’t want to overcomplicate anything but at the same time, I’m the leader of this crew and I know that it’s up to me to keep things running smoothy. So I’ve got a few ideas in store for the coming months.
Easy Goal #1: One hike a month
I bought this book to make the planning easier!
Easy Goal #2: Teach kids to play t-ball
One of the major benefits of a big brood of four is having a built-in game waiting to happen whenever you like. Our kids are between the ages of two and seven so t-ball is perfect (plus you don’t need a player to pitch). Santa provided the tee this Christmas, next comes the know-how.
Easy Goal #3: Let kids move when they need to
One of my favorite new ideas for getting a little energy out came from my mother-in-law. George, my 4-year-old, often starts to get squirrely at exactly the same time when we’re trying to wind down for bed. This used to drive me crazy. Now when I see him get antsy, I have him do 10 burpees. Right there on the carpet.
And if that doesn’t do the trick, he races up and down the hallway 5 times too. Once he gets that burst of energy out, he calms down and it changes the whole evening. He can really enjoy cuddling up to read books together before bed.
You’ll notice that I don’t have soccer practice, swim team or dance class here. That’s because our kids aren’t involved in any of these things so far. At this point in our lives, spending time together as a family in the evenings is more important than even the benefits of learning teamwork, coordination and pushing yourself physically–all exceptional traits I value highly. Don’t get me wrong, I loved after-school activities as a kid. LOVED THEM. And our time will come.
Just not yet.
For now, we’ve got t-ball in our own backyard.
Geocaching is awesome. It’s like a treasure hunt and adventure walk built into one.
This is the third time I’ve heard about this in the last 24 hours, so it sounds like I need to make it part of my life! Thanks for the tip.
I love the burpees idea!
When my son was young, I’d see him start to get crazy and I’d challenge him to run around the house 3 times. Let’s see how fast you can go! Ha. He loved it, and it really worked well.
Cute. Sometimes I do time George. Our mailbox is at the VERY bottom of a long driveway and it’s perfect for just this sort of thing. I love his flushed little cheeks when he comes back, plus there’s something about kids who’ve just come in from outside. A smell that’s hard to beat!