Have you ever done the drill of “walking in someone else’s shoes for a day”? Have you ever thought of being your kid? We highly recommend it. Think about from the minute he or she wakes up what exactly happens and then step by step go through the day. Wake up, get breakfast, get on the bus, go to first class, etc. etc come home, watch tv, eat a snack, play video games, eat dinner, do homework and so on. Really try to be YOUR kid; however funny, sarcastic, meek or empathetic he or she sees the world. Try this out before reading the rest of our article, then continue on!
“Build a roadmap to their success” is a quote from CrossFit Kids seminar staff member John Brown (1). It is the epitome of how we want to instruct our kids at CrossFit Rife! We believe in creating fitness as fun and building a culture that sees it in a positive light. If we can inspire our kids to be more active then we are giving them the opportunity to have less screen time, be less sedentary and decrease the likelihood of chronic disease that is becoming so much more prevalent in our youth. What scares us, though, as coaches and advocates of childhood fitness are three big statistics!
The…
- Decreasing physical Education in schools (2)
- Decline in youth participation in sports (3)
- Continued rise in childhood obesity rates (4)
The World Health Organization recommends that kids, ages 5-17 years, participate in 60 minutes of physical activity DAILY! This amount is needed to provide a necessary physical stimulus for health. That’s the minimum requirement while any additional activity has compounding health benefits (5). Physical health benefits include; maintaining a healthy weight, decreased risk of chronic diseases, decreased blood pressure, increased flexibility, and increased bone and muscular strength, as just a few. AND those are only physical benefits, not to mention the psychosocial benefits of a young person learning how to interact with others and the world. Increased physical activity has been directly linked to increased self-efficacy, increased self-esteem, increased mood, decreased anxiety and decreased depression! (6) So, with all of these great reasons to be active, how could we not set our kids up for success? Kids need to move, literally! Their physical and mental growth is dependent on it.
Using research and a science based approach to training we, Kids Coaches at CrossFit Rife, are part of the solution that brings fun back to physical activity for kids! We teach in group classes, between 45 minutes to an hour and combine aerobic activity, gymnastics and weightlifting. Our kids climb, run, jump, hang, swing, toss and throw and so much more. We provide a safe, effective, broad fitness program that is exploding with fun.
“Build a roadmap to their success”. Step 1, getting kids to try out the program. Step 2, overwhelming them with fun. Step 3, helping them establish that connection between health and life long fitness. We truly believe a healthier life for life goes hand in hand with physical activity!
Nicole Tsetsilas
CrossFit Kids Coordinator at CrossFit Rife
CF LV2
