Fitness Equipment... for Kids?
by Maia Appleby
Certified Personal Trainer & Executive Director of Ideal
Fitness, Inc.
Lots of parents visit Shape Up Shop looking for fitness equipment for
their kids. Some are concerned about their children's weight, some want
to help them train for specific sports, others just want their kids
to be healthier. I'm writing this to serve as a guideline for all of
these parents.
 It's
my opinion that kids are naturally active. Our culture has distracted
them and discouraged many of them from leading normal, active childhood
lives. They grow up too quickly, stay inside FAR too much and are not
generally as fit as they should be. The easiest and healthiest way to
get your kids into shape is to encourage them to be kids.
This can be difficult today, in a world where we can no longer allow
an 8-year-old to run around the neighborhood until dinner time. It's
frustrating for us parents to deal with the fears we have, because we
want our kids to have to freedom we had. But they don't, and we have
to adapt to this new world without keeping our kids in a bubble.
In many communities, sports are no longer what they used to be, possibly
because today's coaches are products of a different culture than ours
were. In many cases, it's more competitive, less fun and much more stressful.
Overcrowding in schools makes it extremely difficult for mediocre kids
to even make a team, so the only kids who benefit from athletic programs
in these schools are the best athletes. It's hard.
Although the answers to these problems are complicated, there is much
that a parent can do to encourage physical, heart-pumping, muscle building
activity.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS are too young for formal workout
sessions and they WILL NOT enjoy them. The psychological damage that
could result from forcing them to exercise in a way that they see as
being menial and punishing is not worth it. I don't recommend treadmills,
exercise bikes or anything like that for young children. Here are some
suggestions for specific areas that can be addressed:
Aerobic training
Be careful here! As I said, it must not be anything like the cardiovascular
routines that we adults follow. Here are some fun ways kids can get
something of an aerobic workout:
- The Urban
Rebounder Pro exercise trampoline - turn on some tunes and let
them choreograph their own bouncing routines -- great for older kids
- Jump ropes come in many
different styles and can provide an awesome cardio workout for kids
and adults. Our other fun "hopping
toys" can do the same thing.
- Soccer and basketball
both keep them moving -- both excellent sports for overweight kids
- Kickboxing can get an
adult into shape quickly. Kids can also benefit from it with a little
guidance. Although I wouldn't recommend handing punch mitts to a couple
of rowdy boys, speed
bags and fitness bags are a lot of fun to play with individually
Balance, coordination and agility
There are a lot of really fun ways a kid can tweak these skills. Dance
and gymnastics classes offer a great deal in this area, but here are
some other ideas:
- Wobble
boards
- great for kids interested in skateboarding or surfing
- Reaction
balls - the active way to improve hand-eye coordination
(unlike video games!)
- Frisbee
and flying disc games - They're fun to toss back and
forth, but there are lots of other activities that they're
good for too
- Stilts
and pogo sticks
are technically toys, but they are also really good coordination-building
tools
- Our
wacky paddle and racket
games are addictive and can provide hours of fun.
- Foam-filled
action
shapes are great for creative fun in kids' gyms, daycare
and playgroup settings.
Strength training
Children, as we know, are growing. Their bones and muscles are often
not keeping up with one another and it's crucial that we let nature
allow them to grow properly. For this reason, weight training is not
recommended for kids under age 13. Although kids normally can't become
bulky the way adults can, here are some safe ways for them to develop
and maintain a healthy amount of muscle:
- Hop
balls
- they may seem babyish, but ours are large enough for school-aged
kids to enjoy. Playing a game of Tag on these is actually a fun, hilarious
way to strengthen their leg muscles!
- Scooters
- no, not what you're thinking! Kids sit on these wooden or plastic
scooters and can play scooter
hockey and a host of other games. Propelling themselves around
with push poles can help strengthen their arms and upper body.
- Believe it or
not, tennis is
a terrific way for kids to develop good muscle tone (and it offers
benefits in both of the other categories above, too.) Don't have access
to a tennis court? Kids love to play with the tennis
rebound net - and just about any kind of ball can be used with
it, so it works for bounce-back games galore!
Yard games are the best way to get them
active, and the most effective way to keep them healthy. If you get
them something they enjoy doing, they'll spend more time doing it, so
that's your best bet. Activities that involve the larger muscle groups
offer the best aerobic (fat burning) benefit, especially games that
require them to keep their moving and move their arms around a lot.
Some good examples of this are:
This is just a small, small list of ideas. I truly believe that if
parents would fill their children's toy boxes and play rooms with items
like these instead of the "sit around and push buttons" toys
that have become so absolutely dominant over the past few decades, we
would have a healthier, happier population of youngsters in the United
States.
Looking for a healthy gift for a child?
CLICK HERE to see our fitness gifts
for kids!
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