Little brother

WeightlifterJosey

Hello, so I have a little brother who is 13 he is 5"2 and weighs 155lbs, I try to get him to work out with me but he always makes up excuses not to workout... Do any of you guys know what I can do to convince him to workout or make things more fun for him?

puppycloud

Give him goals and let him get the satisfaction of reaching those goals - the most motivating thing that is.
Start it up with easy stuff, and make the goals harder to reach as he progresses.

runfatmanrun

I was about his age when i started playing football so maybe tell him how it could benefit him in sports. The down side is you are his big sister and he may just not want to work out with you.

SirBen81

sports

WeightlifterJosey

He does do football and Wrestling and doesn't care that he keeps on getting fatter and really doesn't even wanna play sports anymore, he thinks playing golf for 20 mins is enough workouts for a week. He loves to play video game and eat chips while doing so.

castadiva

Don't make it about a 'workout' - are there any sports he's interested in playing and/or local teams he could join? If he's only 13 and 5'2" he's probably about to shoot up in height in the next year or so, so if you're worried about his weight, I would try not to be - he'll probably be so skinny you'll need to feed him up in a few months' time. It's what happens to boys at puberty.

persian_star

Maybe get an inexpensive barbell/weights set? It may not be working out with you but it would still help his fitness levels, and boys like the idea of muscles - I have a 31 year young husband who loves to flex his newly appearing muscles at me ;o)

sailorsiren13

if you have an xbox get a kinect and play the games with him! my kids love them they have games for everyone from Star Wars (my sons fave) to just dance and MMA fighting could be fun for the whole family. my hubby even got in the act with the star wars one

dalmiechick45

make it fun- play with him even tossing a ball is better than parking it on a couch
PS- good for your to take an interest in your younger brother. That's very sweet of you.

JMPerlin

In a year or two this won't be a problem. Just try and encourage him a bit until then.

kaitimae

The best thing you can do is probably just set a good example. Figure out what YOU love to do, do it, and talk to him about how much you like it.

I never had ANY interest in running until my (younger!) brother started doing marathons and reading all sorts of running related books and articles. His love for it got me interested, and now I've done 5 half marathons, with my 6th being next Sunday. I still have a lot of weight to lose, but I am MUCH healthier than I was before I started running.

shirleygirl910

Just like getting kids to read, you have to find something they like. If he wants to go in football do a routine they would do on the field for football. Play basketball or handball with him.

SirBen81

Boxing/sparing. You vs him. Two pairs of gloves a mat, and head gear. If I were him I'd be pretty motivated not to let my sis whoop me.

GasMasterFlash

History has proven that smokes and liquor are the most effective ways to ply minors. You might get in trouble though.

WeightlifterJosey

Thank you guys for all your advice:) I will try to go out and do some kind of sports related things tomorrow when he is with my dad!

suzikay12

I was just thinking this exact same question about my son. He's 13, 5'4 and 140lbs. He's on the heavier side of things. He doesn't do sports at all. Which is fine except I think he is really missing out by not being part of a scheduled activity. He does ride his bike and walk but I was thinking about having him work out with me 30 minutes a day.

I want him to know that exercise is a part of a happy, healthy life, just because he has chosen not to play sports doesn't mean he can get away with not doing something in it's place. I'm still struggling with the right way to approach it.

WeightlifterJosey

My little brother I feel would be way more interested in doing more but his weight has made his knees hurt more then usual ( He also like to walk around shirtless and he has cellulite on his stomach and boobs (Which are bigger then mine).

macpatti

Fun incentives?

Newf77

Set the example, if you try and force your "way of life" on him he is only going to become more resistant. Ask him if he wants to go for walks to get a treat at the Stop and Shop/7-11; play basketball; take the dog for a walk. Just lead the way, he is at an age where he will soon be interested in girls and your friend hanging around might kick his ego into gear.

WeightlifterJosey

I have tried doing that but my brother just goes into the back room and plays call of duty and eats junk food.

castadiva

I was just thinking this exact same question about my son. He's 13, 5'4 and 140lbs. He's on the heavier side of things. He doesn't do sports at all. Which is fine except I think he is really missing out by not being part of a scheduled activity. He does ride his bike and walk but I was thinking about having him work out with me 30 minutes a day.

I want him to know that exercise is a part of a happy, healthy life, just because he has chosen not to play sports doesn't mean he can get away with not doing something in it's place. I'm still struggling with the right way to approach it.

As a deeply anti-sports personality, a word of caution...If he rides his bike and walks on a regular basis, he's being fairly active anyway - I wouldn't fret too much about 'scheduled' exercise - both of those things count towards his activity-levels. Exercise doesn't have to mean getting changed into special clothes and going to the gym/joining a team etc, which just is anathema to some people, myself included. I really resented the pressure I got from some adults in that regard, and it made me much more resistant to other forms of activity than I would otherwise have been, for a long time.

Now, if you said you were worried about his socialisation, rather than just exercise and sports, I'd ask if he was involved in any non-sports groups. As for his weight, as I said above, if he's 13 and 5'4", he's going to be a lot taller, and probably a similar weight in a year's time. Many kids gain weight in the run-up to pubertal changes - it's the body's way of preparing itself.

If you do get him to work out with you, don't forget that an adolescent or child's skeleton and muscular structure is not as developed or strong as an adults - cartilege has not yet hardened, for example. It would be wise to carefully consider what you are getting him to do, if weights etc are a big part of your workout.

runfatmanrun

You could also be frank/honest with him. Tell him how likely he is to die earlier, how much harder it is to be fat, how it could affect bone growth and density, etc., etc. He's 13 so he isn't too young to know how being overweight can harm him physically and emotionally. He should grow into his body more over the next couple of years and will probably piss you off for being able to eat what he wants without working out, who knows.

WeightlifterJosey

History has proven that smokes and liquor are the most effective ways to ply minors. You might get in trouble though.

I don't wanna get my little brother into this though I would rather him be doing sports or something to give him muscle instead so when he gets in high school he won't be to scared to go to the beach and show off his body with out it looking like a druggys body

WeightlifterJosey

I was just thinking this exact same question about my son. He's 13, 5'4 and 140lbs. He's on the heavier side of things. He doesn't do sports at all. Which is fine except I think he is really missing out by not being part of a scheduled activity. He does ride his bike and walk but I was thinking about having him work out with me 30 minutes a day.

I want him to know that exercise is a part of a happy, healthy life, just because he has chosen not to play sports doesn't mean he can get away with not doing something in it's place. I'm still struggling with the right way to approach it.

As a deeply anti-sports personality, a word of caution...If he rides his bike and walks on a regular basis, he's being fairly active anyway - I wouldn't fret too much about 'scheduled' exercise - both of those things count towards his activity-levels. Exercise doesn't have to mean getting changed into special clothes and going to the gym/joining a team etc, which just is anathema to some people, myself included. I really resented the pressure I got from some adults in that regard, and it made me much more resistant to other forms of activity than I would otherwise have been, for a long time.

Now, if you said you were worried about his socialisation, rather than just exercise and sports, I'd ask if he was involved in any non-sports groups. As for his weight, as I said above, if he's 13 and 5'4", he's going to be a lot taller, and probably a similar weight in a year's time. Many kids gain weight in the run-up to pubertal changes - it's the body's way of preparing itself.

If you do get him to work out with you, don't forget that an adolescent or child's skeleton and muscular structure is not as developed or strong as an adults - cartilege has not yet hardened, for example. It would be wise to consider what you are getting him to do, if weights etc are a big part of your workout.

I wouldn't worry about it to much but my family tree is full of shorty's haha and whenever we go to the beach/pool he is always worried about what people will think so he wears a dark teeshirt (We live in Florida)

bestbassist

13 is an incredibly awkward age for kids. My guess is that his interests will change and he'll find something he likes doing in the next couple of years. I know I HATED sports as a kid (still do, always will) but give me a pair of drumsticks and watch the calories melt away. Maybe he is growing out of sports and wants to do something by himself - he just doesn't know what yet. He'll figure it out.

Bouts of sloth and depression are normal for growing boys. Their ambition is generally stifled in the school environment because if they show any then they are deemed "hyper-active" and everyone rushes to put them on medication. Boys have a lot going against them in today's toxic, anti-male culture. Video games now serve as a vicarious escape in which they can "experience" traditionally male pursuits that are frowned upon in today's social climate.

Once the anger and testosterone fully kick in he will go his own way and find a physical release that suits him. Until then, I would just try to understand him psychologically and help to boost his self-esteem.

WeightlifterJosey

Oh and I forgot to say he is also homeschooled which means he eats all the time...

Meg_78

Maybe get an inexpensive barbell/weights set? It may not be working out with you but it would still help his fitness levels, and boys like the idea of muscles - I have a 31 year young husband who loves to flex his newly appearing muscles at me ;o)

^^
This
Weights was what I was thinking too!. They will help him improve the way he looks, not just loose weight and really who doesn't love muscle??? Perhaps that will also give him the confidence to branch out and take up even more active activities which would improve his heath further.

You don't need a gym, free weights are better anyway, maybe you can pick up someone's old set off eBay (even just some dumbbells to start, you can do a lot with just dumbbells and a good assortment of weights), and a book on lifting maybe!...I'm using my FIL's and BIL's set that they used to use in the 80-90's. Fantastico!

GreenTeaForDays

The truth is, he probably just thinks you are nagging and you may be doing more harm than good. The best you can do is lead by example, be encouraging and not push too hard. No one will become healthy until they decide to do it for themselves.

A few years ago I pushed my brother to run with me one morning. At the time he was about 13, a little over weight and very sedentary because he played video games too much. I kicked his butt that morning but he never wanted to run with me again. A year or so later his friends got him to join cross country and now he runs circles around me. I realized what I did wrong that morning and I really regret it. I just tried to make him feel bad about himself so he would want to do something about it. I should have planned something more fun that we would enjoy together so he would want to do it again. you can not push your aspirations on to someone else.

Anyways, just be easy on him. You are his sister and he will take just about everything you have to say as criticism.

jallen1955

You are very unlikely to get a 13 year old boy to do anything.

Try to interest him in sports...and then just encourage him.

adamb83

I'm confused... 5'2" and 155 or 5'4" and 140.... and we're freaking out? They may not be the slimmest or trimmest kids, but they're about normal, especially for guys (and yeah they're at the "high" end of normal - but BMI is a crap measurement anyway).

It's great to want to get them to eat healthy, in general, or to be more active, in general, but I would worry about putting so much stress/pressure on them when they're really nowhere near a danger zone. I would've been thrilled to be that weight when I was their age (or, hell, now - I'm 5'4" and my goal is 145).

Just hope there aren't some convoluted ideas of what "should" be happening going on here... I think it's most important to make sure they're capable of making healthy nutrition choices. If not, help with that - if so, let 'em be.

WeightlifterJosey

He is 5"2 and 155 and doesn't like to do much exercise