How To Exercise With Your Kids, Part 2

Use Clear Training Objectives

It is very beneficial to use clear training objectives with your kids from the beginning.  These objectives, or goals, should be communicated with them in a simple and understandable manner.

It would also be educational to let them know how an exercise or activity will help their bodies.  For instance, if you conduct an exercise where they stand in place and jump forward as far as they can, let your kids know that this will help build their hamstrings, calves and quadriceps.

Another benefit to using clear objectives is to help you.  Write your objectives down and keep them in a folder or on the fridge.  This will keep the goals fresh in your mind and will serve as motivation for you and your family.

Need some ideas on how to exercise with your kids?

How to Exercise with Your Kids, Part 1

We are going to write several entries to help you in your quest to find out how to exercise with your kids.

Positive Reinforcement

Kids really look up to their parents and they need emotional support from you the length of their lives.  Yes, even your 25-year-old daughter still needs your compliments.  Some people call these “atta-boys.”

It is really important to increase your child’s self-confidence in regards to exercise by giving them encouraging comments, compliments, pats on the shoulder and hi-fives.

Telling your kids they are doing a good job is a great way to encourage them and it will help them enjoy exercise even more.

Need some ideas on how to exercise with your kids?

Kids Exercise Raises School Grades

Kids exercise not only improves physical fitness, builds healthy kids and lowers obesity — it also helps kids achieve higher grades in school.

James Pivarnik, president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine and professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University in East Lansing, found that middle-school students who performed best on fitness tests also performed better in academics.

The study included 317 students in grades six through eight which showed that kids who were more fit scored almost 30 percent higher on standardized tests than the least fit group.  But that’s not all.  The least fit students scored 13 to 20 percent lower than all other kids.

“It’s not only Johnny’s getting fat, and heart disease down the road — all that’s true. But it’s also that he might not do as well in school,” says Pivarnik.

The evidence continues to surface that kids exercise is good!  Many school teachers are seeing that those who participate in kids exercise are more alert than others who don’t exercise in the classroom.  This study should serve as motivation for you and your family.

Need some kids exercise ideas?

Cell Phone+Kids=Not Good

For some time now, I have been reading research reports on the effects of cell phone radiation on adults.  Now I’m reading more and more about the effects of cell phone’s on children.  Not good.

According to a research group at France Telecom in Paris, “The brains of young children absorb twice as much radio frequency energy from a cell phone as those of adults.”

This is alarming enough but then just last week the head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

Read that story here.

For my family, only a dire emergency will justify our kids using a cell phone, period.  I’m not here telling you what to do.  I would only encourage you to read these articles and inform yourself.

I’ve heard stories of young kids using cell phones for 30 minutes to 1 hour at a time!  If you transfer that time usage to fun kids exercises, trips to the park, zoo or museum, you will reap the benefits of a healthy family much more than those whose kids are on a potentially dangerous cell phone every day.