An excellent personal trainer I know, Robert Werner, just forwarded me his Youth Fitness Power Point presentation. I have listened to Robert speak before on physical fitness (he’s also an incredible cultural dancer and can teach you how to get your groove on with Brazilian, African and Caribbean rhythms).
Did you know the latest statistics on childhood obesity show that 32% of U.S. kids are either obese or overweight? Kids between 10-13 years of age who are currently obese have a 70% likelihood of becoming obese adults. (If you want to check out the facts, visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here).
Robert makes the case that since there isn’t much we can do about genes, we — parents and kids — can focus on controlling eating and activity.
Swimming is a suggested activity, of course. What’s great about water is that water provides a low-impact environment. This is helps eliminate hard stress on the body for overweight or obese bodies.
For kids to get the recommended 1-hour of physical activity a day, it has to be fun — here are 10 Ways to Make Youth Fitness Fun (in the Water, of course)!
- Have a pool party. That’s hours of swimming activity your kids and their friends will partake in.
- Use StickK.com to come up with kooky goals. There’s a lady who swore she’d eat a can of dog food if she didn’t lose 20-lbs by such-and-such date. Your kids can post and link to their My Space page.
- Go swimming together. A friend’s pool, dropping in at the Y — anything to show them you like swimming too. Do the doggy paddle while you ask your kid about their day.
- Retrieve $10 of change. Whatever your kid can grab in quarters at the bottom of the pool in 1-minute, it’s theirs (to spend on physical fitness stuff).
- Treading-while-talking challenge. Kid must swim with their head up for 10 whole minutes and answer all of your questions: Your favorite color? Show? Movie? Shoes? Vacation?) I bet you’ll learn a lot and they’ll love the attention.
- Cool flippers or fins. Everyone — and I mean everyone — loves fins. I have yet to met a kid who doesn’t go nuts over them.
- Hot tub rewards. Many public or community centers have them. Sometimes it’s worth to go swimming just to soak after.
- Weekly swim dates. Make it regular with a friend they enjoy being with and who swims on about the same level.
- Outdoor iPod speakers. Get a game of musical chairs — or certain spots in on the pool side — going. I just bought an outside boombox for an iPod for $40.
- Good ‘ol Marco-Polo.Your heard the one about the police officer finding a hidden robber in a warehouse when he called out ‘Marco’ and the thief answered ‘Polo’ out of instinct, right?
