11 year old exercising

thisisjl

When I took them along I mostly kept asking ok do you want this or that and they would answer me. Then I could tell the 11 year old wanted something and so I asked she was like I really like green beans to snack on. I was like ok lets get you some green beans. She was afraid to ask for Green Beans? Then I calld their mom later and she was like so what did they con you into buying them...I was like well I did get them a bunch of fruits and vegatables and oh lordy there was that box of cheese it's. Oh and in the cereal aisle she asked for blueberry shredded wheats oh the horror.

jk262

I would let her go as long as she wants to. It's good that she's realizing health. You'll usually start to see signs if she starts thinking too much about body image. For example, she'll make comments or start really meticulously counting calories, limiting herself, becoming obsessed with how much to eat, etc. It sounds like she really looks up to you as an example and you're setting a great one for her!

RuthieCass

From what it sounds like, I think you may be over-thinking this a bit. Doing a little over an hour on the cardio machines is not that big of a deal for an 11 year old, especially since I'm guessing she's not trying to do super-high intensity or anything. Think about how much time kids that play sports exercise. I used to spend over 4 hours playing kickball, biking, and running around when I was a kid. I would suggest not discouraging her from doing-- she may even lose interest quickly and go back to wanting to swim all the time. If you see her over-exerting herself, just tell her to slow down and take it easy as to not injure herself. Otherwise just let her enjoy it. :-)

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

I would say she will hit it hard for a short period, then either her focus will wane or her body will catch up with her. What I find ironic is when we were kids(I'm 37) we were out all day everyday, running, cycling, building/destroying things & that was normal, I guess what I am trying to say is her energy levels are high because of her age, leave her burn it off

Russ

I completely agree with this! A a kid I was almost literally running through life from 6am to 8pm everyday... I had so much energy and hiking, biking, climbing trees, digging holes, building forts and treehouses ect were all normal ways to spend every spare moment. I find it strange to think that ppl might think a kid may need to be restricted to a certain amount of exersize. I think if I'd ever had access to a gym at 11, I would have been playing for hours!

The only limiting factor may be if she seems to have an unhealthy obsession with weight loss or body image, otherwise, why try and slow her down? Its a great thing to be doing!

I second these two posts... I'm very proud to say that I belong to the generation of kids where there were no nintendo computer games, brick games, game boys, play stations etc. & so I was also a very active kid & would play outside with my cousins, brothers & sister, run, ride a bike, play basketball, swim etc. the whole day everyday. Also I remember when I was around 8 or 9 years old where my aunt at home would flop out a Jane Fonda or Richard Simmons "sweating to the oldies" workout into our betamax player & then I joined her to workout. Whenever I hear the phrase "go for the burn" or some oldies groovy songs, I can still recall those memories haha.

Its so sad that today's kids are becoming less active & preferred sitting on the couch with their video games instead of playing outside. No wonder why those illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension etc. that we normally associate for older folks are now becoming prevalent with young people as well.

All I can say is that as long as she does these things out of fun then I guess she'll be fine. Just make sure that she's getting the proper nutrition that her body needs.

bathsheba_c

Why is no one suggesting discussing this with the kid?

Because this just started earlier today and before I have an indepth conversation about how much or little she should use the equipment I thought I'd get suggestions on what's to much at this age. I'd rather be informed with information rather than tell her something or tell her I don't know and have to look it up. I never said I wasn't going to talk with her.

Fair enough. :flowerforyou:

ajfc1971

My daughter is the same age and roughly the same size give or take a lb, she is also trying to watch what she eats and has upped the excerise in school. At the moment there is not enough hrs in the day for her to go the gym out of school with all the commitments. She goes on about wanting to be thin but I always correct her and say 'she wants to be healthy' as it is bad for you health to be either to fat or to thin. She feels better in herself and has lost a few lbs nothing major. As for your niece doing to much excerise I wouldn't worry, her body will tell her when she has done to much. As long as she sticks to the equipment that the gym always her on she will be fine. 1 last thing, I have advised my daughter that even if she stays the same weight and feels better and eats healthier she will grow taller in time therefore will automatically be thinner naturally. Hope everything goes well.

madamepsychosis

Unless she winds up hurting herself, I wouldn't limit her. My school had a mini gym with machines and the like and we weren't limited to any of them. That was from the age of 11 too. If she's found something she actually enjoys, that can only be a good thing.

Giantess

Speaking as a teacher, kids her age have SO much energy. If she's having fun, let her work out! I would have loved to work out with my mom at a gym at that age. She probably feels grown up and healthy.

If she gets bored with it, she'll stop on her own and go back to more kiddy stuff. : )

lucylAnneMason

She shouldn't really be on any of the machines, but children under the age of 18 should be having 60 minutes of exercise a day, i was around the same weight when I was 11 and I went to aerobics class's at school and got down to 120lbs

Bobby_Clerici

In general this sounds good.
There are things parents can do for their kids which most do not. I want my own children to be at the top of life's food chain.
I have 5 kids and start them exercising at age 2. We call it "PT" which is USMC for "Physical Training".
It's not play time but serious. And it's neither optional nor negotiable.
At 8pm every day, we all gather and everybody does push-ups, pull-ups and sit ups. Once per week we study self-defense training.
We do not do any cardio as each kid in involved in sports: swimming, tennis, hiking, track or whatever.
There is no TV or junk food allowed in the house, and computer time is limited and monitored.
None of our kids have ever been fat, weak or bullied, and no teenager was ever on dope or in trouble.
All excel in sports, school and their social network.
Parents have a responsibility to prepare their kids for the rough world we live in.
Success is a choice.

ChaseAlder

I have sisters who are 14 and 9. I can't see either of them pushing themselves too hard in ANYthing they didn't have to, let alone miserable elliptical machines. I would say let her do what she feels comfortable with and when she feels done, she'll stop. Kids aren't gluttons for punishment like we are If they don't like it, they'll start complaining and trying to get out of it (at least in my experience).

Shelgirl001

I would say she will hit it hard for a short period, then either her focus will wane or her body will catch up with her. What I find ironic is when we were kids(I'm 37) we were out all day everyday, running, cycling, building/destroying things & that was normal, I guess what I am trying to say is her energy levels are high because of her age, leave her burn it off

Russ

I totally agree with this. I know when I was 11 or 12, I was out riding my bike all day or swimming or walking a whole lot and no one worried that I was doing too much exercise. It's important kids that age are active. She will learn a healthy lifestyle at a good age this way.

She should be fine unless there is something that physically prevents her from being that active and a dr says she should not be doing this.

DavPul

I guess my question is, after all that back story, should I limit her to 30 minutes or should I let her work out 45-75 mintues with me?

She's a kid. She can go twice as long as you can. What, are we expecting her to be tired from a long day at the office? Let her go for it. The injured girls in my daughter's gymnastics class spend the entire 90 min class on the cycle. Which brings to mind, the healthy girls go hard for 90 mins climbing ropes, tumbling, and jumping. Let her go for it. But supervision is a must if she's around the strength machines. Eventually she's going to drift in that direction out of curiosity or boredom.