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Coach Foreign Guy Fitness Correspondent
Invictus Fitness Centre Westgate has launched their August Kids Fitness package for kids 18 years and younger.
This week we focus on Kids’ Fitness and why it is essential to add exercising to your child’s daily routine.
Sitting less and exercising for 60 minutes a day (not necessarily at once) have many health benefits for children: They will develop healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
They will develop healthy hearts and lungs.
Their coordination, strength, and muscle control will improve.
Besides enjoying the health benefits of regular exercise, fit kids sleep better. Exercise improves school performance and makes kids less likely to develop depression.
Kids who exercise regularly are also better able to handle physical and emotional challenges.
Here are a few of the many reasons why you should encourage your kids to take up exercise.
10 Benefits of physical activity for kids
- Strengthens the heart
- Helps keep arteries and veins clear and blood flowing with minimum pressure
- Makes the lungs more efficient and the body energetic
- Reduces blood sugar levels
- Controls and maintains recommended weight
- Strengthens bones
- Helps prevent cancer
- Prevents common illnesses such as colds, coughs, and flu.
- Boosts energy levels
- Enhances emotional well-being as well as the physical
Here are 8 easy and fun exercises for kids and how to do them
Running – Young kids typically enjoy games like tag or freeze, that encourage running by chasing each other, older kids might enjoy games that require more strategy like capture the flag, which involves two competing teams trying to capture each other’s flag and bring it back to their home base.
Jumping – Engage in pretend activities at home or outside that involve jumping like a frog or kangaroo with your child. Instead of freeze dance, try playing freeze jump. Turn on some music and jump when it’s on and stop when it’s off. For older kids, try incorporating jumping into relay races, like a potato sack race where kids stand inside a potato sack or pillowcase and jump to a finish line.
Skipping -Substitute skipping for running in tag or freeze games. Have your children race skipping across a field or your backyard. Play freeze skip similar to freeze jump but skip while the music is playing.
Bear Crawls – Start on all fours with both hands and feet on the ground. Keep your arms shoulder-width apart and your hips up in the air. Move forward, starting with your right hand and left foot and then your left hand and right foot.
Crab Walks – Start by sitting up with both your knees bent pointing upward and both feet flat on the floor. Place your hands flat on the floor and slightly behind your back. Lift your hips off the floor and walk backward.
Squats – For young kids or toddlers, put a toy on the ground in front of them while they are standing. This may encourage them to squat to look at it. For older kids, make a game out of seeing how high they can jump. For teens, you can make squats more challenging by encouraging them to squat with a backpack of books on their backs.
Superman’s – Lay facedown on the ground with legs on the floor and arms stretched out in front, above the head. Lift your legs and arms off the ground at the same time, engaging your abdominal and back muscles.
Jumping Jacks – Stand upright with your legs together, arms at your sides. Bend your knees slightly, and jump into the air. As you jump, spread your legs to be about shoulder-width apart. Stretch your arms out and over your head. Jump back to the starting position.
All these can be done by individuals but are more fun and motivational in groups. This is why Invictus Fitness Centre will be having kids’ classes 3 times a week to bring kids with fitness goals together.
Feedback: Coach Foreign Guy at Invictus Gym, Westgate
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