Exercise for children

www.DrWeigh.com

I had a great visit with a patient today. She is twelve years old and has already lost about 15 pounds. She has more to lose but is getting closer to her goal every day. Today we discussed exercise. She loves to dance! In fact, she takes about six dance classes a week (2 classes a day, 3 days a week).

This patient has tried lots of different exercise regimens. She sometimes goes on the treadmill. Other times she goes on her trampouline. But she always comes back to dance. It is truly her passion!

So we decided to base her exercise routine on her dancing. We determined that tap dancing is the most vigorous type of dance. When she is tapping, her heart is racing and she is sweating. So we decided that, instead of suffering on the treadmill, she would tap to her heart's content.

The patient (who asked that I keep her name confidential) aims to exercise five days a week. She takes her dance classes three days a week and taps on her own twice a week. She is getting the exercise that her body needs- and enjoying every second of it.

Tip for parents: Find an active activity that your child loves and try to base their fitness regimen around that. If they love soccer, have them do soccer drills for exercise. If they love jumping rope, let them do that for exercise. A child (or an adult) will only stick to an exercise regimen if he/she enjoys the activity. The more they enjoy the activity, the more they will exercise.