subject: Teaching Your Child How To Exercise [print this page] It is important that you are taking the time to get a cardio workout each and every day. There are some people that do not understand how significant the benefits can be for your body when you are getting in the proper amount of exercise.
The American Heart Association has recently recommended that children and adolescents get at least sixty minutes of cardiovascular exercise each and every day. Taking the time to understand how you are going to help your children get this exercise is important.
When your child gets older you can take the time to teach them how to use equipment properly. There are many different types of machines that have been designed to give a cardiovascular workout but you may want to start with the basics.
The most basic of these machines is the treadmill. This machine is an indoor running machine that simply allows your child to run in place but still change settings and adjust his or her workout to change the workout.
When you are working with your child on getting more exercise you want to make sure that you do not push him or her too hard. Many parents will make children feel bad about themselves because of the push for exercise.
Make sure that you help your child understand that this is solely to help him or her be healthier. The healthier that they are the happier they will be and the less you will have to worry about their health condition.
As you are taking the time to explain this you want your child to understand your motives. Children can see through many facades, so take the time to focus your mind on you energy on these outcomes rather than any other outcomes.
As you are first teaching your child to run on a treadmill you may want to do it with him or her. This will enable them to feel like they are not alone and help them understand that it is something they should do as they continue on into adulthood.
Before you even step onto your treadmills you want to make sure that you are both stretching adequately. As you are stretching you want to make sure that your child knows how important this step is to running.
Push yourself in your stretching and make yourself uncomfortable. As you are pushing yourself encourage your child to push to make sure that he or she is getting stretches that are deep enough and will actually make a difference in the run.
Your child should also have the proper attire to step onto the treadmill. Making sure that he or she has breathable athletic clothes, a sturdy pair of running shoes and athletic running socks is very important.
When you step onto the machine you should both have goals set out for the run. Teaching your child to be goal oriented in the workouts will help him or her push through harder parts of the run while they are on the treadmill.
Discussing the goals openly may give them more courage in working out. The more that they are able to be honest with you and discuss what they want from this type of exercise the easier it will be to get them motivated.
Throughout the run you will want to make sure that your child stays hydrated. Bring a bottle of water and encourage your son or daughter to take the necessary breaks from the run and sip on some water.
Teach the child that gulping the water or sitting down on a break will only end up being more detrimental to the workout. It may seem that this is what is natural to do when you are thirsty or when you are tired but it is not good for your body.
Finally, you want to make sure that your child understands how to cool down. Take a few minutes at the end of the run to make sure that you are both walking and letting your body start on the recovery process.
As you are first starting this process your child will be sore for many days. You want to encourage your child to be stretching consistently to help free the acid that builds up in their muscles to make them sore.
As you understand how to keep your child active and moving you will be encouraging habits that they will need throughout their life. You will be battling the epidemic of obesity and helping your child stay healthier and happier.
