I've seen a lot of posts lately about getting kids into exercise post lockdown, with so many parents and carers expressing concern over their childrens' inactivity. 

Their concern is understandable and I think it's great that they want to address the issue. 

But I think their belief that children need formal exercise to remedy sedentary lifestyles is somewhat misguided, and probably has a lot to do with the messages we receive as adults from a rather toxic fitness industry. 

Kids love to play. Over the past year, a lot of them have forgotten how. Rather than introducing them at a young age to the concept that exercise is a way to negate other behaviours, how about we support and encourage them in learning how to play again? 

I made a post on instagram a few weeks ago following a particularly energetic trip to the park with my little one. Round and round he went on a mini route to get to a whirly slide. I honestly lost count of how many times we went up the ramp, around the corner, across the wobbly bridge and down the slide but I certainly got my steps in that day 🤣. Malakai wasn't thinking about steps though of course, or getting his heart rate up or strengthening his legs and moving in different directions. He was having the time of his life with his eyes firmly on the prize of whizzing down that slide. And as a bonus, mama got some movement in too.

As much as I support the benefits of structured exercise, for both physical and mental health  (I'm not a fan of punitive regimes but self discipline and self care are valuable life skills), seeing as how younger children are generally so naturally inclined to move, play and explore, how about we foster these attributes rather than introduce them to structured exercise at such an early age? Let's face it, what's more appealing - a set of burpees or playing a game to see who can lie down and stand up the most times in 60 seconds, with bonus points for creativity?🤷‍♀️ 

So if you're not sure where to start,or zoom PE isn't working out, see if finding more creative ways to move/play hits the spot. 

Generally speaking, goal or challenge based activities will work best. Some examples to add to the burpees in disguise one mentioned above (make sure you check for any hazards such as broken glass or mini potholes):

1) How many ways can you find to go over a bench in a park? Now try and do it without using a body part such as your right hand or left foot. Can you reverse your move and go backwards? Can two kids get over together at the same time while holding hands? How many times can you get over the bench in 5 minutes? This will inspire a bit of creativity, not to mention fun, plus the added challenge of working to time will encourage kids to move a bit faster and get their heart rate up too. There’s also a lot to be said for developing coordination and reinforcing natural movement patterns that will cross over into everyday life.

2) How many animals can you imitate? Can you crawl around like a cat, jump like a frog or run as fast as a leopard? Maybe you can randomly call out animal names and the kids can interpret as they see fit, responding as quickly as possible to each change. Fun times!

3) Have your kids march or run on the spot and randomly call out body parts for them to touch on the floor. This can be hilarious. Favourites include the nose, back of knee or bellybutton (yet another burpee in disguise).

4) Have your kids walk down into a plank position and give them a high five (this will also involve a walk down for the adult - fun times). Only aim for a high ten if you are both feeling confident ;-)

5) For older kids, see if they can get creative and come up with a route, perhaps using outdoor gym equipment or anything to hand in a playground area. If they are stuck for ideas, maybe give them a challenge similar to the bench one in suggestion 1 - can they get over a log with one, or no hands. Can they balance along a low rail or fallen tree, can they run around the park and get back within a certain time? 

6) Finally there’s always the good old fashioned games of tag, musical statues/musical chairs! My personal favorite is running after our 2 year old pretending to be a dinosaur - that we way both get some steps in and have a bit of fun too :-)

Once you get started and become accustomed to looking for ways to get movement in it gets easier to be creative and can actually become quite fun. Remember, there is no wrong or right way to move and if you can find a way to increase activity levels without it becoming punitive or just about losing any lockdown pounds, then you are winning! Children are wonderfully resilient and adaptive - as much as they may have become used to a more indoor and sedentary lifestyle over the past year, they can adapt again, build confidence in their bodies and enjoy movement once again.

And if you’ve made it this far then congratulations, you have progressed to the next level which is my shameless plug for our upcoming family fitness classes! These will be running in the Walthamstow area on a Sunday morning and will involve movement for all the family. The emphasis will be on fun, with games and teamwork being the focal point of each session. We will aim to explore different types of movement and encourage participants of all ages and abilities to explore their potential as well as learning to respect their limitations. Details will be coming soon - sign up here to be kept in the loop!

Give me a shout in the comments section if this raised any questions for you or if you have a similar experience to share. Your passionate personal trainers in Walthamstow  would love to hear from you :-)

Oh, and 100% of this post applies to adults too ;-)