It is a simple fact that some children just aren’t into sports but that doesn’t mean they have to be glued to the TV 24/7. Getting your children to exercise can be as simple as going for a walk in the park. Children should exercise for many reasons, but some things to remember are to choose age-related activities, to provide opportunities to be active, and lastly, to make exercising fun.
When your children are not having fun while exercising, it is time to explore different options. Not all children enjoy team sports such as soccer, rugby or netball. Consider that perhaps they could be interested in activities such as cycling, running, swimming or dancing.
Ask them what they would enjoy instead of you trying to get them to do the activities you want them to do.
Advice to Get Children to Exercise and Adopt Healthy Habits
Leading by Example
Show your kids how to be active, which means you – yourself – can’t sit in front of the TV for hours every day. Your children will not respect the limits you place on certain things if you are doing those things.
You need to be a role model for your kids by incorporating physical activities into your daily life. Walk to the shops instead of driving, use the stairs instead of the lift and make sure your kids know how much you enjoy doing these things.
Exercise as a family – this is a good way to motivate each other, thereby increasing overall health.
Limit Screen Time
A healthy amount of time spent watching TV is around one to two hours a day, which includes gaming and surfing the web. Encourage your children to do activities to replace this 2 hours of screen watching. Get them to play a game of tag or hide and seek, or even get them to walk the dog.
You can help get your kids to be more active by not allowing TVs to be in their bedrooms. You can also limit the time they spend on their smartphones, and enforce this rule. Unfortunately, by the time children finish school, they would have spent more time on their smartphones than in school.
A Proper Diet
Ensure that your children follow a healthy diet filled with all the vitamins and minerals needed for the energy to exercise, and for general health purposes. A diet of processed foods and sweets can lead to obesity and various other health issues.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
Are you keen to learn more about children’s fitness? At Trifocus Fitness Academy, on our Exercise And Children Course, you’ll be able to design and instruct exercise programmes for children while taking into consideration the particular risks and benefits associated with this kind of training.
