How to instill a love for fitness in a child?

Author: Evgenia Kuznetsova - children's fitness coach.
2018-08-17

Defining the Goal. Making a Choice

Can't motivate yourself or your child to engage in sports? There's no need to force it! You can:

1. Instill interest in both yourself and your child in sports through joint workouts, also enhancing the bond between you.

2. Enroll one child with a fitness trainer. It's crucial that the trainer holds a certificate specifically for children's fitness, as there are many nuances that distinguish adult and child fitness.

3. Engage in fitness separately from the children, but that’s a completely different story.

Let's discuss the two options: fitness with a child and fitness for one child.

1. In fitness with your child, you can motivate each other, build rapport with your child, and together tackle mini-challenges presented by increased workloads. The child's age should range from 1 to 3 years (during which the child does not actively participate but rather is worked with by the parent holding the child's weight) and from 4 to 12 years. Why up to 12? Because, for instance, if you have a son, the older he gets, the less interested he may become in such activities.

However, with girls, it is still possible to continue further, but only if they enjoy bouncing around the house/cottage/field or wherever they practice with their mom/dad rather than playing hide and seek with girls in the yard. There's no need to force it! Training should follow a specific program that you purchase from a trainer; I reiterate that the trainer should not simply be an average one (and not an exceptional one), but one who specializes in working with kids. If you're interested in this specific fitness, you can reach out to me for a program; online marathons are also held, where you, your child, and a few other similar pairs train together, communicate, and share results.

2. In children's fitness, there is also an age distribution across groups: from 2 to 6 years and from 6 to 12 years. A trainer cannot obtain a general certificate in children's fitness. They must have several certifications across different age categories. Don’t be alarmed if there are more categories than I’ve mentioned, as all fitness schools and academies classify age in various ways. The key is to have no less than two. This depends on the development of the child's body; their ligaments and joints are not yet fully strengthened. Here, when choosing a trainer, one must also be very cautious. Adequate time should be allocated for stretching exercises for the children, as this helps them recover faster and makes their bodies more elastic.

Say "No" to Violence!

So, I’ve covered the most important points. Now, if you choose the option of fitness with your child, let me clarify a few more things. When training with a child, there’s no need to shout at them or force them to do an exercise. It’s enough to discuss everything thoroughly and come to an agreement before starting the training. You can promise a reward in the form of something they've long wanted (treats or small toys, to avoid developing a notion of exercising solely for a reward). However, this shouldn’t be done too frequently; use it only when you notice the child isn’t entirely motivated for the training.

During the workout, ensure that both you and the child maintain a positive mindset. There’s no need to shout or heavily sigh about how tired you are, how difficult it is, or how you wish it would all just end. In this case, you can show the child your willpower (by not doing all the above) and also elevate your status in their eyes, encouraging them to imitate you.

Main Points for Conducting Training Sessions

It's best to conduct sessions with rhythmic music that should be prepared in advance. Additionally, review the program that you purchase ahead of time, practice with the child while counting to avoid incorrect technique and injuries during music-assisted execution.

The program your trainer provides should be clearly and competently outlined. Each exercise should be detailed, highlighting which muscles you'll feel working and attention brought to how not to do it to avoid injury. The program should also specify the duration, number of sets, repetitions, and the time allocated for completion.

If it happens that the child doesn’t become inspired by your enthusiasm and starts slacking off or throwing a tantrum, give them a couple of minutes to rest, while you continue not to stop the training. The child can rejoin where you left off after their break.

It’s also essential to check with the child about how they feel after each training session, whether they have any pain in their knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, or back. If they report muscle soreness, that’s normal. I’ll tell you more; your muscles will hurt considerably for several days as well if your body wasn’t prepared for the loads before these workouts.

Rules for the Trainer and Child

Regarding the children’s fitness option, there won’t be as many details here since a trainer will be working with the child, whom I hope you will select carefully. I don't recommend pushing for your presence during the session, as it will distract both the child and the trainer. Imagine what would happen if every parent wanted to watch their child in a small fitness room. If you can coordinate with other parents who are also interested, you might ask the trainer to conduct one open session a month. I do this as well, seating moms and dads on fitness mats in the corner while I lead the sessions with the children; however, many kids often start showing off in front of the adults, getting distracted, and the training becomes less productive.

During the open training session, you can observe the trainer's work. See how they interact with the children and how they perform their job. If they allow themselves to slap a child for not completing an exercise, then grab your child and run away from such a trainer.

Usually, such sessions last no longer than an hour. If you feel that this time is insufficient for a full workout, don’t let that concern you. I assure you, this amount of time is more than enough for a professional to conduct a complete training session.

Nutrition

Now let’s talk about the goals of training. If you or your child is overweight and the goal is to lose weight, then the responsibility for preparing a proper diet and ensuring its consumption primarily falls on the parent. Forcing a child to eat well from such a young age in pursuit of trends and an attractive physique makes little sense. The body is still growing, and the metabolism is excellent. Even if the child is overweight, there still shouldn't be excessive restrictions. They will grow, stretch, and lose weight due to physical activity. Just don’t allow them to consume an entire bar of chocolate a day; a few pieces or candies are sufficient. This is important not just for weight loss but for their overall health. If you’re not aware of the harms of sugar, I strongly recommend watching the foreign film "Sugar."

Clothing

As for the clothing to be worn during the workouts, it should be as comfortable as possible for both you and your child. Now I will state something very important, and I hope you remember it or better yet, write it down. It is ESSENTIAL to wear sneakers ALL THE TIME. Even if you’re at home. Even if there’s a $10,000 carpet on the floor. Remove the carpet and train on the floor IN SNEAKERS. They should be tightened a bit more than usual. This ensures that the foot is properly secured and acts as a single unit with the sneaker, but don’t tighten it to the point of cutting off circulation. For God’s sake (and if you’re not a believer, then for your own health and the health of your child), do not neglect this rule if you don’t want to get injured. I will explain how to choose the right sneakers in another article.

Location of the Training Session

As I already mentioned, the location can be home/cottage/field/forest; you can even rent a fitness hall if finances allow. The main requirement is that the surface must be as flat as possible. This is also needed to prevent injuries and ensure that the feet have full contact with the surface of the floor or ground.

Prepare water for yourself and the child in advance. The amount depends on who drinks how much, but at least 0.5 liters of water should be consumed during the workout. Very often in fitness halls during group sessions, this opportunity is not provided.

I’ll let you in on a secret. When a person comes to a training session with the goal of losing weight (and 90% do), each gram of weight is very significant to them. When you sweat profusely during a workout, liquid exits your body, and since you’re not replenishing it with a new serving of water, your weight drops by several hundred grams. After the session, you rush to weigh yourself, and what do you see? Oh yes, -0.5 kg. No, that’s not fat; don't be deceived, it’s water that your body desperately needs at that moment. So never hesitate to bring water with you to training, even if the "trainer" prohibits it. Yes, in this case, it’s indeed in quotation marks.

My article has come to an end; although it is the first on this site, it certainly won’t be the last. If you’re interested in purchasing a program for fitness with a child, online consultation, or participating in a marathon, feel free to contact me via WhatsApp at +79537036775. Instill the habit of a healthy lifestyle in your children from an early age!