Treadmill Routines for Kids Age 8+

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Too cold to walk outside? That doesn't mean that your child's fitness regimen needs to chill until Spring. That treadmill gathering dust in your basement can be safely used by a child (age 8+). Just be sure to get your child's pediatrician's approval before starting any new exercise regimen.

To begin, make sure your child is wearing a supportive pair of sneakers. Start the treadmill at a very slow pace so your child is walking comfortably. Do not go too fast or your child may fall down. You can SLOWLY increase the pace until your child is at a brisk walk. Then, choose from the following three workouts.

Workout One: Steady does it...

Keep your child at one pace throughout this workout. Make sure your child is walking fast enough; if your child is not breathing heavily and sweating, increase the pace. Ideally, your child will be unable to speak fluidly in complete sentences. The goal is to walk at this pace for a total of 45 minutes. Work up to this slowly. Start with 5 or 10 minutes and increase the length of time by 5 minutes every day or so.

Workout Two: An uphill battle...

Begin your child on a flat incline and have him/her walk at a brisk pace (as above) for 5 minutes. Then slowly increase the incline on the treadmill. Do this slowly. Increase by 0.5 every 2 minutes until you reach a maximum incline of 4 percent. (If this level of incline is too difficult, back off by 0.5 until your child is able to keep up. As the incline gets higher, you may need to lower the speed slightly. Adjust the treadmill so that your child is working hard but is able to tolerate it.) End the routine with 5 minutes at incline 0.

Workout Three: What goes up must come down...

This workout is an interval workout. You will be frequently adjusting the speed of the treadmill. Begin the workout with your child walking at a brisk pace for 5 minutes. Then increase the speed so that your child is either walking very quickly or jogging for 1 minute. Then lower the speed so that your child is walking at a reasonable pace for 3 minutes. Alternate between 1 minute at a fast pace and 3 minutes at a reasonable pace until your child has been working out for 35 minutes total. End the workout with 5 minutes at a reasonable pace.

A reminder: check with your doctor before trying this workout! Do not attempt these exercises without your doctor's approval.

Not sure how to teach this to your children? Go to http://www.DrWeigh.com to learn more. Our interactive website launches next month!