Home
>
Parenting
>
Promote Physical Fitness for Your Child

Promote Physical Fitness for Your Child

If your child is to derive the benefits of physical fitness, then physical activity must be habitual and lifelong. Moving should be as routine as brushing teeth and bathing. But this is only likely to happen if: 1. Physical activity is a habit of yours ? and of your family's. 2. It's associated with pleasure rather than pain!

A pleasant association is most likely to happen if you:

* Choose individual and family activities that fit easily into your lifestyle.

* Select activities that are within your physical capabilities and those of your family members.

* Pace activities with fun, rather than heart rates, in mind.

* Don't worry about scheduling; consistency is important, but it's okay to be flexible.

* Encourage one another, pointing out what's right about what you're seeing.

* Don't insist a child do something he's not comfortable with; you can always try again in several months.

* Expose your child to a wide variety of physical experiences. Just as you wouldn't feed your child only chicken and spinach, you shouldn't limit activity choices.

* Keep competition out of the equation. No good can come from comparing children.

It's important, too, to view fitness as an ongoing process rather than as a product. The latter gives the impression that there's an end point to be reached, which is a misconception and can create discouragement. It's also a great idea for your child to know that it's a process for you, too! If she believes you've achieved some ideal standards, she'll seek to reach perfection herself; and just the idea of perfection can prove to be overwhelming and not worth attempting. On the other hand, if she's aware of your shortcomings (and we all have them), she'll be motivated by your continuing commitment to improving.

Writes Curt Hinson, in Fitness for Children: "Your goal should be to teach children that their level is acceptable, wherever they are on the continuum, while at the same time encouraging them to move in a positive direction."

A Harvard study conducted in 2000 demonstrated that children regularly overestimate the amount of time they spend moving. When outlining their activities for the day before, the 45 participants (11 to 13 years old) reported an hour of vigorous exercise, like running. But they'd been wearing motion recorders on their hips that exposed the truth of the matter: They'd actually engaged in vigorous activity for two minutes. The remaining 10 hours of the day had been spent in sedentary activity, like playing videos, watching TV, and sleeping.

The goal is to make physical activity a customary part of your child's ? and your ? life. However you choose to encourage the physical activity habit, you can be assured that if it's introduced early in life, your child won't be among those who only think they get enough activity during the day.

Rae Pica is a children's physical activity specialist and author of Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activity (McGraw-Hill, 2003). Rae speaks to parent and education groups throughout North America. Visit her and read more articles at http://www.movingandlearning.com.

In The News:

Apple recently notified a small number of iPhone customers in 92 countries that their phones may be under attack by mercenary spyware.

An artificial intelligence-powered home security system can fire paintballs and tear gas at trespassers. The camera identifies human faces and animals.

Technology expert Kim Komando gives her tips and tricks on enhancing your user experience a smartphone and other devices you use everyday.

A new camera called NUCA uses artificial intelligence to create deepfake photos of subjects by stripping away clothing in close to real time.

The Kimberley Kube trail-ready camper has a compact but spacious design and combines luxury, functionality and ruggedness for a weekend getaway.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Emails instructing you to reset your password for an account may be legitimate, or they may be scams. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains.

Northrop Grumman's Manta Ray uncrewed underwater vehicle aims to revolutionize undersea missions — it glides through the ocean without human assistance.

Learn how to work Google's calendar application to streamline and organize your daily tasks from technology expert Kim Komando.

If you do not want Facebook to have automatic access to your private photos, follow our tips to protect yourself. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you how.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson goes into detail about Apple’s recent iOS update that allows iPhone users to instantly translate spoken language simply by using the Action Button.

Safeguarding your digital life with a reliable physical backup isn't just a precaution, it's a necessity. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson provides the essential backup checklist.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how a Redditor exposed false recycling claims at their apartment, highlighting a report that only 21% of U.S. recyclables are processed.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson offers a travel toolkit featuring five technology tools to help you with booking flights and hotels for your summer vacation.

The bubble behind the clock on your iPhone can appear in different colors. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains what each of those colors mean.

Scammers are using the power of artificial intelligence to mimic voices of people and are using the fake voices to commit crimes, like kidnappings.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tech guru Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains the science behind the Invisibility Shield, a 6-foot shield that makes people become invisible.

The International Olympic Committee on Friday announced plans to use AI in various Olympic aspects, including athlete identification, training and judging.

Tech guru Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains an easy trick to avoid squinting while working or surfing the web by zooming in on your personal computer.

Streaming giant Roku has recently been targeted by a pair of cyberattacks, and the company confirmed over a half million Roku accounts were compromised.

The Land Aircraft Carrier combines an all-terrain, six-wheeled vehicle with a two-seat aircraft, which features electric vertical takeoff and landing.

The European Union has sent TikTok a "request for information" on the video sharing platform's newest app, TikTok Lite, under the Digital Services Act, with the aim to clean up social media.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The FBI is warning the public about a recent phishing scam via text that claims its targets owe money in Pennsylvania for unpaid road toll charges.

Promote Physical Fitness for Your Child

Parenting