Think of the Children! (And their Movement)

Greetings Fitters!

 I hope you have found some time this weekend to put yourself first, and work on your fitness. You have to take care of yourselves before you can take care of anyone else!

Speaking of taking care of anyone else.....I know that for many of us, that "someone else" is our kids. Over the past few months, I have been seeing some interesting articles related to children and their health and wellness. Two in particular are below:

 Mother Penalized for Not Giving Child Balanced Lunch, School Gives Ritz Crackers

 High School PE Program Recognized

The second one is an exciting possibility in my eyes. Finally, teaching kids how to move well for the rest of their lives! It is upsetting to see that children from elementary school up in to high school are given lessons in their Physical Education classes (if they still are allowed physical education) about things they will never use the rest of their lives. How many kids go on to play volleyball, dodgeball, football, basketball, etc.? Maybe 1%. How many go on to pick things off the ground, carry heavy objects, sit in a chair, or sprint to catch a bus? I'm going to go ahead and say all of them.

I'm not saying avoid all sports. Sports are a fun way to get children excited about moving. Just don't make sports the entire focus of fitness. Not many of us will go on to win the BWF Badminton Championship.

I've had countless conversations with people who have an investment, in some fashion, with high school children, and in all cases, nothing positive was said in regards to what is being taught to them in the ways of their physical movement. I've spoken with Athletic Directors that when I ask what their strength and conditioning programs look like, they claim "There is none." But in practice these children are asked to "hit squats for the next 30 minutes." Who's coaching them to properly squat? That is an extremely technical movement to complete while loaded. Who is qualified to critique the technique of the kids doing it, or even further, write conditioning programs for the entire team for the entire season? If they do have someone qualified, that is terrific. But I can say that the norm is quite the opposite.

I've spoken to Athletic Trainers who talk about the children that are visiting their offices on a regular basis each season from injuries that are clearly the cause of overuse or dysfunctional movement. No child should already be having knee pains and joint issues when they are 16, 17, or 18. So why are we seeing this? Because no one has taught them how to activate their glutes, turn their knees out, and have a solid knee when they are running, or squatting down to go for that low volleyball, or how to brace their shoulder when they wind up for a pitch.

I've talked with parents who are concerned that their children aren't being shown the importance of physical activity, because the school systems are taking away the only allotted hour of their child's day that they used to spend being active, P.E. class. Consider it.....a kid in high school (that isn't in sports) wakes up, goes to school, sits in a chair for roughly 5-6 hours a day (minimum), gets out of school, comes home or goes to a friend's house, sits around for a few more hours, then goes to bed. When do they get in their physical activity, exercise, movement? Who is teaching them how to move well?

So what do we need to do? We need to invest more into teaching our children the importance of simple movements. We need develop programs that are going to help them find significance in making good choices about their food and health. So what is the answer? CrossFit in school? Maybe, maybe not. But who cares about the right answer? Figure out what is important to teach kids for their future (not the 1% of them who play sports to make a living) so that they can move well for the next 90 years, and teach that. Teach it well, and teach it in a way that will stick. Help the people of the future learn how to

Stay Fit.

And NO, the answer is not "tricking them" into moving with video games.