When we talk about exercise routines for children we must not get them confused with the strict routines that adults follow. Children’s exercise routines should be fun, flexible and enjoyable, not the three or four gym visits per week type routines. As children are still growing, certain types of exercise may be harmful to them at a younger age. You can however incorporate aerobic exercises, strength building exercises and activities to improve flexibility into your child’s routines to build overall fitness.
When your child participates in an aerobic exercise routine their heart will beat faster and they will breathe harder. When these exercises are done on a regular basis their heart muscles will strengthen and this helps improve the delivery of oxygen to their bodies’ cells. Some good examples of aerobic exercise are:
 
* Walking, jogging or running.
* Swimming.
* Football, basketball, tennis.
* Cycling.
* Rowing.
* Ice skating, skiing.

Strength training routines are a good way for your child to develop stronger, leaner muscles. For younger children, who are still growing, this shouldn’t include lifting weights. Children are already participating in strength training activities in the playground when they use monkey bars, do push ups or wrestle with their friends. Some other strength training exercises to try:
 
* Push ups, pull ups.
* Sit-ups, crunches.
* Squats, lunges.
* Tug-of-war.
* Rowing.
* Weight training (for older children).

While most children are pretty flexible anyway, it is a good idea to incorporate some bending and stretching exercises into their routine. These types of exercise help to improve your child’s flexibility and their overall range of motion. What this means is that they can bend and stretch their muscles and joints without experiencing any difficulty or pain. There are some great exercises to improve your child’s agility:
 
* Side stretches, touching your toes.
* Yoga, Pilates.
* Gymnastics.
* Dancing.
* Martial arts.

When you child is involved in long periods of exercise and activity they should include a warming up and cooling down period. A warming up period slowly increases the heart rate and muscle temperature ready for harder exercise. Examples of warming up exercises are brisk walking or jogging on the spot. Combining this with stretching and rotational exercises reduces muscle strains. When cooling down follow the same principles to lower the heart rate down to its normal state. When cooling down, stretching exercises help to restore the muscles resting length. This helps in avoiding injuries and improving your child’s flexibility.
 
It will take time and patience to get your child into a regular exercise routine, so here are some tips to help you along. Try to involve the rest of the family, or maybe some of your child’s friends, so that they don’t feel alone. Always make it fun and try, if possible, to keep it going and make regular exercise part of your family life.

When we talk about exercise routines for children we must not get them confused with the strict routines that adults follow. Children’s exercise routines should be fun, flexible and enjoyable, not the three or four gym visits per week type routines. As children are still growing, certain types of exercise may be harmful to them at a younger age. You can however incorporate aerobic exercises, strength building exercises and activities to improve flexibility into your child’s routines to build overall fitness.
When your child participates in an aerobic exercise routine their heart will beat faster and they will breathe harder. When these exercises are done on a regular basis their heart muscles will strengthen and this helps improve the delivery of oxygen to their bodies’ cells. Some good examples of aerobic exercise are:
 
* Walking, jogging or running.
* Swimming.
* Football, basketball, tennis.
* Cycling.
* Rowing.
* Ice skating, skiing.

Strength training routines are a good way for your child to develop stronger, leaner muscles. For younger children, who are still growing, this shouldn’t include lifting weights. Children are already participating in strength training activities in the playground when they use monkey bars, do push ups or wrestle with their friends. Some other strength training exercises to try:
 
* Push ups, pull ups.
* Sit-ups, crunches.
* Squats, lunges.
* Tug-of-war.
* Rowing.
* Weight training (for older children).

While most children are pretty flexible anyway, it is a good idea to incorporate some bending and stretching exercises into their routine. These types of exercise help to improve your child’s flexibility and their overall range of motion. What this means is that they can bend and stretch their muscles and joints without experiencing any difficulty or pain. There are some great exercises to improve your child’s agility:
 
* Side stretches, touching your toes.
* Yoga, Pilates.
* Gymnastics.
* Dancing.
* Martial arts.

When you child is involved in long periods of exercise and activity they should include a warming up and cooling down period. A warming up period slowly increases the heart rate and muscle temperature ready for harder exercise. Examples of warming up exercises are brisk walking or jogging on the spot. Combining this with stretching and rotational exercises reduces muscle strains. When cooling down follow the same principles to lower the heart rate down to its normal state. When cooling down, stretching exercises help to restore the muscles resting length. This helps in avoiding injuries and improving your child’s flexibility.
 
It will take time and patience to get your child into a regular exercise routine, so here are some tips to help you along. Try to involve the rest of the family, or maybe some of your child’s friends, so that they don’t feel alone. Always make it fun and try, if possible, to keep it going and make regular exercise part of your family life.

Coming up with ideas for exercises to keep your child interested and happy may sometimes seem a difficult task to take on. A good way to start is by finding out what your child is interested in and going from there. You may also want to check out what facilities for children are available to you in your area. Maybe you have local facilities for indoor sport, outdoor sport, a swimming pool, dance classes or you may even be lucky enough to be near some great hills to go hiking on.
 
There are many ideas for exercise which can be found at home that can be fun and beneficial for your child. Walking the dog is great daily exercise that also teaches children about having the extra responsibility of something in their care. With a little incentive you could get the kids doing chores like sweeping the yard, cleaning the family car or weeding the garden. If you have room, put up a basketball hoop or a football net in the back yard. Try bringing the playground activities home, children love to play games like skipping, hide and seek, hopscotch and tag.
 
One of the best ways for your children to exercise, stay healthy and let of steam is to take part in athletics. Whether they are running around the garden or on a professional track, athletics is a great for all round fitness. Track running, hurdles and cross country are an ideal aerobic workout for any child. Coordination skills are greatly improved by the throwing and jumping events like the javelin, shot put or discus and the high jump, long jump and triple jump. Besides exercise, athletics also offers a chance for your child to make friends and learn new social skills by being part of a team.
 
Exercise ideas don’t just have to come from a sporting background either, take dance classes for instance. There are a variety of dance classes out there to suit any child’s style and musical preferences. Ballet dancing increases strength, flexibility and coordination as it requires good posture and precise movement. Ballroom classics like the tango foxtrot and waltz will also help encourage your child to interact with others. If your child is looking for a more energetic form of dance there is Tap, which is set in time to a musical beat. There are many other popular styles of dance from jazz, hip-hop and swing to modern break dancing and popping.
 
You can choose from many forms of exercise to benefit your child’s health and growing up needs. Discussing your ideas with your child and the rest of the family will help to build a picture of the types of exercises your child will have fun taking part in. This is the first and most important step to helping them choose an exercise regime that they will feel comfortable with

Your child’s main source of ‘fitness’ usually comes from the physical activities and exercise they get at school. Some of this comes through the gym lessons, dance classes or football practice included in the curriculum. They are also exercising when running around and playing with their friends at break times. Children who exercise regularly and are more active see greater physical, mental and health benefits right through to adulthood.

Exercise helps to regulate body fat so your child will be less likely to become overweight. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels may also be lowered and they are at a lesser risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Your child will also develop a leaner physique with stronger muscles and bones. Being physically fit and active also helps to improve your child’s sleeping habits and their mental agility in day to day tasks.

All children are not the same when it comes to their attitude towards physical activity. Some children are happy to join in with their friends and run around till they drop. Others are shy, so maybe do not like getting involved in team activities for instance. For these children, one way to encourage physical activity is outside school times by involving the whole family. Your child will gain in confidence by being involved in a smaller ‘team’ and will be able to take that confidence into the school environment.

As well as encouraging your child to exercise you should also try to limit their inactivity. For example, set limits on the amount of TV your child watches and the length of time they play on video games. The amount of time children spend doing these types of activities has increased dramatically in recent years. Instead of them sitting around, try to ensure that your child is involved in play that is physically active.

Changing your daily routine to include simple exercise like walking to school will be a worthwhile start. Become a positive role model for your children and involve the whole family in the new healthier lifestyle. Your child should take part in exercises that are fun, as well as being appropriate for their age. It would be a good idea to see that they had a regular exercise schedule. By understanding the importance of exercise in your child’s wellbeing you can teach them healthy fitness habits that will stay with them for years to come.