Lyndsay Fogarty
The holidays are over, and you’re settling back into your normal routine. Now is the perfect time to push harder for your health by setting realistic goals for the year ahead. Consider getting your child on board with this fresh start too. While children don’t typically make a resolution when the clock strikes midnight, you can still encourage them to keep their bodies healthy and fit in 2017.
Wendy Oross, owner of Body Works Fitness Studio in Dr. Phillips, understands the importance of physical activity for people of all ages. She works with adults, offering personal training sessions and fitness classes that focus on specific areas of the body, but her studio is also a fun place for kids work on their fitness. The Body Works Kid Fit Class introduces kids to cardio in a fun way – through trampolines. With games like trampoline basketball and Simon Says, kids strengthen their muscles while learning about their health.
Oross says the physical activity they get in class is about more than just losing weight. It helps kids get better sleep and the jumping and moving can help people of all ages build up their immune system.
Between participating in trampoline class and developing healthy eating habits, Oross has seen a huge transformation in her son. Here, she shares four ideas for helping your child meet his or her health goals this year.
1. Help your child find an activity that he or she enjoys doing.
Being excited to go to trampoline class or for daily walks with the dog is an important factor in sticking with the activity. Would you continue doing something that you didn’t like? Neither would your child.
2. Ask your child to help you in the kitchen.
Getting involved with preparing a healthy menu, selecting fresh fruits and vegetables at the grocery store or farmer’s market, and prepping snacks or meals together before the week gets started gives your child a sense of purpose when it comes to what he or she is eating. If he or she has a hand in making the healthy choices then those fit, healthy choices will likely become habits.
3. Practice modeling healthy behaviors even when you think no one is watching.
Children are always observing adults. They know you just snuck a handful of cookies instead of taking just one. They see you getting into your workout fit gear before leaving the house. This means they will likely mimic what you’re doing, good or bad.
4. Set up a reward system that is not food focused.
Did your child go outside to play for an hour? Did he or she get an A in gym class? Instead of celebrating a job well done with ice cream or a big dinner out, go to the mall and buy your child something off of his or her wish list. Having something that is tangible will be a constant reminder that the hard work paid off.
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