Restrictions on children's fitness

These days, we all understand that kids need to exercise, but there is often confusion about what they can and can't do. Care of children's growing bodies means that it's important to place certain restrictions on how they exercise. The key to any exercise program for kids is variety. Kids need a mix of strength training and aerobic exercise, such as biking and running, in order to both keep the heart and lungs in shape and also increase their strength.

Strength training for kids is all about toning their muscles using low weight and a high number of reps, rather than trying to lift a heavy load. The weight used will depend on the child's current size and strength, but should be something they can lift comfortably at least 12 times.

For most kids an ideal starting program will involve mostly body weight exercises, such as push-ups, stomach crunches, and pull-ups. If you want to try other exercises, cans of food make good 'weights' for kids. But always, when working with children, the focus should be on technique so that they can strengthen their muscles safely. You shouldn't even consider trying to add muscle bulk until after a child has passed through puberty.

Aerobic, or cardiovascular training, should focus on fun. Too much running, particularly on hard surfaces, can damage children's joints. Whenever possible have them run on grass, and mix up non-stop running with shuttle runs, games of tag, anything to inject some fun and variety into the program.

Other good alternatives are swimming, biking, and of course, walking. Even a walk in the woods will usually turn into a good cardio workout for a kid as they run back and forth, chasing in and out of the trees.