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Expert Q&A
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| By Zac Robinson certified fitness trainer, certified youth fitness trainer and physical education teacher | ||
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My son plays baseball and football, but in between those two seasons, he gets very little activity. Can you recommend some things that I can do to help encourage him to be active? We live in a cold winter climate, so outdoor activity is limited.
He is off to a great start with baseball and football. Not sure his age, but learning the basics of strength training and "working out" is a great activity that will not only help with general fitness, but also make his body more prepared for the actions needed for both sports. This can help with injury prevention and make the sports more fun. Of course, if you go this route ensure you find someone in your area that is knowledgeable regarding strength training for youth to at least get you started.
In this day and age, it is not uncommon for young athletes to practice their sports almost year around. I wouldn't focus on this early specialization, but if you got him to "buy in" to the importance of keeping in baseball and football playing shape he might be more apt to continue to do some of the activities needed for both sports.
Another option is martial arts. A lot of kids aren't too excited about taking Tae Kwon Do or karate, but once they start they can't ever imagine stopping. This is another great way to increase overall activity levels and martial arts are year-around activities. It is also something that lends itself well to family time, as more than one member of the family can participate no matter age and everyone is reaching for the same goals.
Finally, try to build an activity based culture within your family. I think one of the reasons that so many people struggle with bodyweight is because they consider being active or exercise as a departure from the norm. It should be just the opposite; not being active should be the departure. You can get the family more active by looking for opportunities to get out and move. Plan hikes, trips to the park, find a great snow sledding hill, build a snowman, etc. anything to make activity the norm rather than the exception.
Thanks for your question I hope this helps!
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