We have special exercise needs. Our families and our children have special exercise needs. Our teenagers have very specific exercise needs and we need to keep this in mind as they develop. They can be far more susceptible to damage from overuse of their joints, bones and muscles during exercise. How many of us have injuries relating back to our teenage years? (I do! I have a bad knee.)
Too many of our kids are spending way too much time in front of the television or playing video games online or off. They are not getting the time to run, to jump, to stretch and to get active. There is a great deal of evidence to support the fact that serious illnesses including heart disease can begin as young as age 10. Scary to think that inactivity now can cost you later? Worse – it can cost your children later.
It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up. -Vince Lombardi
Exercise for the Whole Family
Your whole family can benefit from aerobic workouts that will help you burn body fat, strengthen your heart, your lungs and your circulatory system. When you begin your aerobic workout, whether it’s running, walking or biking, it takes your body about 20 minutes to switch into fat burning mode. If you’re looking to trim back the pounds on your body – you should perform cardio 45 minutes a day – 4 to 5 days a week. If you have to start at 10 minutes a day to build up your endurance, don’t let the idea that it takes 20 minutes to get to fat burning stop you.
Start at 10 minutes a day and add 2 to 5 minutes every week until you reach 30 to 45 minutes. Don’t go for the quick fix, because if you push to 45 minutes and you’re not ready and you sustain an injury, you’ll do yourself far more harm than good. If you’re looking for the mile pace for your kids:
- 5 to 8 year olds will cover a mile at a good pace in about 20 minutes
- 9 year old and older can generally cover a mile in about 12 minutes
A good pace is considered a walk that is performed briskly that gets your heart and respiration up, but doesn’t leave you unable to speak or converse
Tone Up
Strength building and toning exercises are good for all of you whether you are doing calisthenics, resistance training or weight lifting. The idea is to build strength and shape the body. This is particularly important to your pre-teens in order to help them avoid injuries. Be certain that pre-teens and teens under the age of 18 to 19 don’t do a lot of dead lifts with extremely heavy weights. Light weights, more reps are going to be far more beneficial to their overall health.
Many fitness clubs are beginning to offer full family options and plans including classes you can take with your child, your teenager or both. So for those of you who have never exercised before, these kinds of classes and exercise groups can provide all of you with a good foundation for getting started on a fitness plan.
Is your whole family active?
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