As we get ready to send our children back to school, we know that, in whatever form, this school year is much, much different from our norm. And we also know that almost all youth sports programs are reduced, if not canceled too.
Whether we are talking about your child’s first team sport or your high school senior’s chance to make varsity Captain, it’s needless to say that the current pandemic has put a pause to all those opportunities.
But that doesn’t mean we should allow our kids to give up, or spend more time on the couch. We can still improve ourselves. In fact, this is the perfect season for us to work toward a new goal or focus on maintaining our fitness so we can be ready when sports are back!
Child movement is crucial now more than ever. And it’s probably harder than ever. You and your kids are stuck in our rooms all day on zoom and/or working from home. And let’s be real, sitting on the couch binge-watching Netflix has grown more and more appealing.
We all need movement, especially kids.
It is no secret that youth sports are crucial to the physical and social development of our youth.
Helps them with their social skills, develop confidence in our abilities and trust that we can learn/develop new skills, how to work with others and learn from others. These positive influences stay well beyond childhood, they become habits that stick with us until we are older. It also burns energy and helps kids sleep better so they can be more focused on their work during the day.
Don’t let cancelled sports programs and a lack of P.E. class keep your child away from such critical activities. There’s still options! Fitness in any form is the solution! Whether it’s Crossfit, a youth strength program or one-on-one training, this is a great opportunity to engage your child in general physical preparedness (GPP) or sports-specific training to their schedule.
Why? Because good habits need to be developed early. Young brains are like sponges. Right now they are absorbing any physical motor pattern and habit that is being taught to them. And implementing it fairly easily! So this is why it is especially important to get use this opportunity to ensure they learn the proper mechanics!
Of course, we don’t want to throw a kid into a gym and immediately start lifting heavy weights, Though kids are typically way more resilient than adults, the fundamentals are still the same. Training is built-up over time. Coaches must stick to the fundamentals of good motor patterns first. Then introduce progressive overload on the muscles and joints through proper scaling and loading. When done in a safe and progressive manner, lifting does not cause injuries, and there should be no worry about stunting growth plates or any other common misconceptions when it comes to youth fitness.
So, looking for ways to get fitness? Check out this helpful post to help you build healthy habits across your family!