According to our Personal Trainer in Newington Connecticut, there are infinite benefits to children getting vigorous exercise and still a good number of benefits for having a personal trainer for your child.
We all know that children need exercise. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who disagrees with this statement.
But what are the specific benefits of exercise in children and should they have a specified program with someone like a personal trainer?
Firstly, there are many studies that celebrate the benefits of exercise in children. One study concluded that moderate vigorous exercise for kids aged 6 to 8 years old was linked to fewer symptoms of depression two years later.
Another study concluded that children with behavioral disorders improved their classroom functioning with moderate exercise.
“The problem with many kids,” says our Personal trainer CT, “is that they need to be engaged. They need to be interested in what type of exercise they are doing. They need to find it fun. A bored kid is not a happy kid, and not a kid who will continue with exercise.”
That’s why so many children are involved in sports.
“Yes, it’s exercise but the thing is, to many, it doesn’t seem like exercise,” says our Newington Connecticut Personal Trainer.
Obvious benefits says Newington Connecticut Personal Trainer are:
Good cardiovascular health- A strong heart at a young age sets a great foundation for a strong heart later in life.
Flexibility and agility– Kids get into a lot of things. Good flexibility and agility will help them to be more resilient to falls, sprains, injuries, etc.
Healthy Weight Maintenance– Exercise helps children to maintain a proper weight, and many studies show that a child in a healthy weight range will be an adult in a healthy weight range.
Our Newington Connecticut personal trainer stated, “Everyone knows that the obesity epidemic is growing in our country. To get a child into the habit of having consistent exercise can only be a plus. That child will take exercise into his/ her adulthood. This can help to prevent later onset illness and disease.”
Solution for hyperactivity—If children have too much energy, what better way to keep that extra energy in check than by getting them to exercise?
Our Personal trainer Newington CT told us that many people would not consider a Personal Trainer for their child but he mentions the obvious:
“For those kids who play sports, personal training should be a no-brainer,” says our Newington Connecticut Personal Trainer. “Sports-oriented kids can increase their speed and agility, specific to the sports that they excel at. This will, in turn, make them better at the sport that they love so much. It will have them get a leg up on their peers.”
Oddly enough, a trainer can also be helpful if your child does not like organized sports.
“You want to get your child into exercise that makes them feel empowered. By having a one-on-one instructor, he or she will get the feeling of autonomy that can only help him/her. He/she will start to get stronger and become more confident,” said our Personal trainer Newington Connecticut.
If your child has some health issues or physical limitations, it may be ideal to have trainer because he or she will get supervised exercise sessions.
If your child is under confident or self-conscious in trying new activities, this is another good reason to obtain a personal trainer. Again, the sense of empowerment that personal training and strength and resistance-based training can provide your child the boost he/she needs.
Our Newington Connecticut Personal Trainer simply recommends you be cognizant of the following:
Your trainer should be certified, especially if the trainer is working with a youth.
Your trainer should genuinely like children and have experience training children. It will help to have a sense of humor and a ton of patience.
Your trainer should tailor training sessions specific to what the child needs—is it sports agility? Weight loss? Weight maintenance? Strength? Just for fun?
Your trainer should implement fun training activities, more well-suited to a youth, versus an adult. This way your child will stick with the program and actually look forward to it.
Your trainer should set goals with your child. And keep you in the loop in making decisions on training and changes to the program, as well as meeting the child’s fitness goals.
“Open communication is key to a youth personal training program that is a success,” says our Newington Connecticut personal trainer.