Should You Let Your Child Join in on Your Fitness Routine?

Being a parent can be seriously exhausting, but believe it or not you can actually restore some that energy with a regular fitness routine. As your kids grow up, they might start to ask about joining in. This can fill you with pride but also make you wonder about how exactly you can help your child take part without putting them in danger. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when thinking about whether to let your kids join your fitness program.

Right Mindset

Unlike adults, kids generally don’t need scheduled workouts to get exercise. They’re naturally full of energy and get their exercise primarily through active play. If you want to start exercising with your child, you need to make it feel like fun. Mix your routine up by doing things like introducing songs that help them remember moves. You can also help keep them motivated by tracking their progress with them and comparing how they’ve improved from where they started. Their relationship with exercise should also be positive. Exercise should not be something they force themselves to do when they’re not feeling up to it. While exercise can help someone feel better, it shouldn’t be made to feel like an obligation.

Positive Reinforcement

Exercise is fun, but it also tends to be very demanding. The culture of perfection can make it even more so. There’s the desire to know every movement perfectly and to be able to reach our highest goals without any sort of struggle. Kids don’t always have the awareness that progress takes time. If they start to denigrate themselves, show you care for them by telling them how well they’re doing. Let them know that they don’t have to prove themselves to anyone. When they do well or improve, you should congratulate them, but you should also show your support for them for trying. Negativity won’t have any kind of worthwhile effects. In fact, having a negative view of exercise could turn your child off of fitness efforts for some time to come.

How to Be Careful

While exercise can strengthen your body, it can also cause harm if not done correctly. One of the biggest risks is going beyond your limits. Your kid might push themselves because they believe that they have to go as hard as possible or do as much as an adult in the room. However, this can lead to things like head injuries. Even without concussion symptoms, head injuries can be pretty serious. Kids will trust their parents and understand when it’s time to take a break. Whether or not your child wants to keep going and if they should keep going are two separate questions. Along with adhering to proper form and hydration, your child should know that their body must be listened to for it to be treated with the greatest possible respect.

You should help your child have a good relationship with physical fitness as early as you can. Taking part in exercise without you can help them to see all the positives that come from being active. That said, you still need to make sure you’re aware of their safety and offer guidance that prevents them from hurting themselves or losing their love of exercise.

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