Ultimate fitness for your kids
When I was growing up, I had a very active life. When I came home from school, I was very lucky to be able to go out on the street and play safely with my friends. There were mishaps of course. I can still “feel” the pain – falling out of a tree, having scratches all over my legs and arms. However, we had fun and we could play just across the road in our local park while our parents were still at work.
I was very fortunate to have all four grandparents in my life when I grew up. Time with them was the best time ever as we used to go to a beautiful and healthy looking forest to pick mushrooms and berries or we took a train or bus and went to visit our relatives in the next village. And of course, they had kids so it meant more play and fun outdoors whilst the adults stayed indoors chatting. I absolutely loved those visits.
I’m trying to remember how much time I used to spend in front of a TV. For me “being outdoors” was really the most enjoyable thing I could do back then. Especially when I came home from school – no more “sitting” was required!
Unfortunately, I’m not convinced that kids are living the same way as we used to. On the contrary, children are leading more and more sedentary lives – eating fast food, playing video games, texting friends or watching TV. Consequently, children are becoming overweight and in some cases obese due to a lack of physical activity.
What are parents doing? In most cases, they’re doing their best – encouraging them to engage in rigorous exercises to try and balance this increasingly sedentary lifestyle. However, this might not be an ideal way to keep your children (6 to 11 years old) fit as their bodies are not quite developed enough to handle some demanding exercises.
So which exercise is more appropriate and why? You might want to consider a low-impact exercise routine such as Pilates. It can actually achieve two objectives – develop a stronger body and a relaxed mind. It can also help increase a child’s self-esteem - so widely promoted in our media these days.
Some other benefits of Pilates for kids:
Spinal alignment and better posture
Moving more efficiently
Increased strength and flexibility
Body development in a more symmetrical way (building muscles equally)
Improved performance in their favourite sport
Understanding their body and its limitations.
Where do you go from here? Active Pilates will be rolling out new classes ‘Pilates for Kids’ (6 to 8 years and 9 to11 years) during school holidays in April. These classes will be 45 minutes long and limited to a maximum of six children in each class.