Just like adults, it’s important for children to invest in their health to reap the numerous benefits of a strong body. However, only 50% of boys from ages 13 to 15 are adequately fit, and less than 34% of girls of the same age are considered fit. The danger here is that kids who have poor fitness levels have a significant risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, chronic conditions, and psychological and eating disorders.
The majority of overweight children eventually become obese adults, as many of the bad habits they have as children carry on into adulthood. It’s understandable how difficult it can be to get children to engage in fitness without having to force them. Here are some ways that you can get your children to start taking their fitness seriously.
Lead By Example
Children naturally imitate what they see their parents do. This is both a blessing and a curse, since they imitate both good and bad habits. If your children see you exercising on a regular basis (and they see that you’re enjoying it), they’re more likely to exhibit the same behavior throughout their lives.
Turn It Into Quality Time
Once your children have shown interest in exercise, you can begin to get them to invest in it further by using exercise as a period for strengthening your bond. If your kids learn to bike, level things up by going on biking trips with them. If your child has shown interest in a certain sport, play together. This not only improves your child’s bond with the sport, but it also improves their bond with you.
Make It Fun
One of the quickest ways to discourage your children from any physical activity is by making it feel like a chore. Taking physical fitness too seriously will ruin the fun for everyone. You cannot teach a child something without first drawing their attention and interest. Never forget that proper technique can always be taught later. Even simple exercises have finer details, as laid out in a recent article by steelsupplements.com, there’s always something new to learn. However, learning can only happen when you’re able to spark your child’s interest by introducing the activity in a fun way.
Give Kids Gifts That Encourage Physical Activity
Bicycles, basketballs, and even active-play video games can encourage your children to invest more into these activities. You can also try activity trackers and health monitoring gadgets such as sports watches to help your children aim for a particular metric, whether it’s a specified step count, distance, calories burned, or sleep hours.
Spark Adventure During Family Trips
If you go on a vacation with your family, plan an activity or two during the trip. Activities such as snorkeling, camping, and hiking can teach your kids the joys of an adventure. This also instills a deep appreciation for nature and why we should care for the environment. A yearning for adventure also helps develop courage and curiosity in your children, which are both essential traits that will enable them to tackle the many challenges that life may bring.
A child’s physical fitness is one of the things that many parents overlook. This often causes many health problems for children as they grow old. Considering that most children are glued to their screens these days, getting them into shape can drastically improve their lives as they grow up.
Leave a Reply