Ways to introduce fitness into your child's life

Ms. Shivani Misri Sadhoo

Post graduate in counselling psychology · Psychologist · 

5 Proven ways to introduce fitness into your child's life

In the day and age where technology turns your child into a couch potato, introducing fitness into his/her life can be a real challenge. These trends have slowly given rise to obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure in children- diseases that they were never touched by. So it is very important to introduce fitness into your child’s life, now more than ever.

1. Get involved: It is known that children learn more by example than by instruction. Do fun activities yourself like swimming, playing basketball, going on long walks and take your child along with you. Start small, by doing this at least once a week, and then increase gradually. Not only will this encourage your child to be more fit, it will also create a deeper bond between the two of you.

2. Introduce fun activities: Structured activities such as a sport are great ways of introducing your child to fitness. Enrol your child for some routine sport classes, particularly team sport. This way your child learns essential values such as team spirit, fair play, competition and practice. Plus, it’s a great way to stay in shape.

3. Make exercising fashionable: Children these days are fond of doing things that are ‘in’. Some may want to swing the bat like Dhoni, while others may be more interested in learning Hrithik Roshan’s dance moves. Let your child decide what he wants do according to his style. Celebrity examples can act as motivation.

4. Use fitness as a reward: If you just force your child to go out and play, then chances are you’d be giving rise to resentment and resistance. Don’t use exercise as punishment, make it a reward instead. For instance, treat your child to a break from homework by encouraging him to play ball for half an hour. This strategy might make him/her enjoy the physical activity to the fullest.

5. Let your child take charge: Allow your child to decide what he wants to do in the hours after school rather than you deciding it for him/her. He may decide to cycle, go on a hike, and go for a long run. Letting him/her decide, give away the control over the situation to make him/her more inclined to follow a routine. For younger children it is best for you rationalize their choices.