Winter can make staying fit a real challenge. While playing in the snow is fun, sometimes it's too cold to even do that safely. Sometimes there isn't even any snow – it's just cold! Parking yourself in front of the TV or video games not only leads to weight gain, but kids can get pretty rowdy if they're cooped up without a physical outlet for their energy.
No one knows that better than Debi Pillarella, M.Ed., C.P.T., a nationally recognized expert on children's fitness and the mother of two boys, ages 8 and 10. "My sons are typical boys; they like video games just like other kids, but they do have a time limit," she says. "I use timers a lot, and I'll just tell them it's time to go and get some physical activity. I've made it a habit, just like brushing their teeth or going to bed."
In the House
If you have an unfinished basement, as the Pillarella's do, kids can rollerblade and even play soccer or baseball with some softer equipment. Pillarella also suggests the following:
Create a Bucket O' Fitness Fun:
Jump ropes
Resistance bands
Hacky sack balls
Nerf balls
Light weights
Hula hoops
Bouncing balls
Cones
Bean bags
Create a Gym-like Atmosphere:
Mats
Fitness stations
Fun music
Weights (empty milk jugs filled with water)
VCR/CD player and TV with fitness tapes
Play Fun Fitness Games:
Balloon relays
Cotton ball (as "snow" balls) fights
Indoor Olympics
Fitness Jar Fun (pick an activity out of a jar)
Many of the above activities can be done as a family or just by the children. When the kids are younger, Pillarella says it's very important to get involved in the physical activity. Parents are important guides and teachers in how to be active. However, as they get older, say older elementary to middle school, parents can step back a little more and expect children to be active on their own, so they know how without always having Mom right there. This is particularly important as they move into their teen years and become naturally more sedentary. At that age, it's not wise to force them because they'll resist, but if they have the tools they may continue an active life.
Imagination Station
Melinda Sothern, a licensed clinical exercise physiologist and a research faculty member and director of the Pediatric Obesity Clinical Research Section at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and the author of Trim Kids™: The Proven 12-Week Plan That Has Helped Thousands of Children Achieve a Healthier Weight (Harper Resource, 2001), agrees that kids need to be directed to fitness activities and given plenty of opportunity to be active. She invented the concept of the Imagination Station, which can be set up anywhere in the house. Sothern says the Imagination Station should include these things:
A couple of old mattresses on the floor so everyone can jump from one to another
Boom box for dancing to the music
Hula hoops
Jump ropes
Skip it
Foam mats and wedges to jump and roll around on
Cardboard boxes for imaginative play
Hopscotch mat
An action game like Twister™
A plastic tub filled with costumes and other dress-up accessories
Toy musical instruments for a marching band
Microphone to imitate the cool moves of your favorite singer
Batons, small flags, pom-poms
Play tents or make one out of furniture and sheets
Indoor basketball hoops with soft basketballs
Soft, indoor baseball mitts and gloves
Juggling balls
Kid-safe dart boards and other target games
Sothern also says that exercise equipment, such as treadmills, traditionally used by adults can be used by older children, as long as they're well-supervised. She cautions that it will become boring to them fairly quickly. Pillarella also notes that studies show that because a child's thermo regulatory system works differently than adults, short bursts of activity, such as they get when they play, are more effective to achieve fitness than longer sessions, such as 30 minutes on a treadmill.
While exercising at home is always handy and can be done even with only short amounts of free time, sometimes it's fun to get out and do something different. One ideal way for everyone to get active would be to join a gym, either one that targets the whole family or one that is just for kids.
Matthew Hendison, executive vice president of marketing and entertainment for My Gym Enterprises, says kids love the activities offered by gyms targeted specifically for them. "When kids can't get out to play, either because it's not safe or is too hot or too cold, a gym targeted to their age group can be a great benefit," he says. "Everything is focused on their abilities and size."
Gyms for kids are a good choice if the local gym doesn't have any programs for kids; they are also a good choice for city dwellers. Pillarella says that if families are looking for a gym membership everyone can use, be sure they offer programming for all ages. Here are some things to look for:
Children's programming. Be sure this is targeted toward specific fitness activities and is not just a supervised play area or daycare.
Be sure the personal trainers have certifications in working with children.
Family activities, or not. If parents prefer working out alone while their children work out elsewhere, be sure this is not a gym where everyone works out together.
Same advice for those who do want to work out with their children.
Programming for teens. This should be less structured and more fun. Tennis, for example, is an activity most teens enjoy.
Not everyone can afford a gym membership, but there are plenty of other out-of-the-house activities that can be done indoors with little or no cost. Pillarella suggests one of the following activities:
Mall walking
Bowling
Indoor water park/pools
Climbing walls
Fun centers
School gyms (open after school gym time)
Indoor skating rinks
Also, don't forget just old-fashioned outings that don't seem like exercise; going to a museum, for example. Pillarella says to wear a pedometer, and you may be surprised how far you've walked on a day when you just thought you were having fun.
Information found at:
http://www.iparentingfitness.com/articles/family-fitness/fit-as-a-family-4428/
