Teenage daughter wants to "tone up"

feather314

My daughter (soon to be 14) says she wants to tone up. She is by no means overweight and doesn't need to actually lose weight. She is about 5'6" or so and weighs 113 (I think). She wears a size 0 in juniors. I want to support her efforts but I want to make sure we're not going down a slippery slope. She LOVES food so I'm not worried about her starving herself but I want to make sure we're doing this in a healthy way.

Any tips or suggestions I can give her? She really just wants to tighten up and tone. I know - what's there to tone on a 113 lbs size 0 body right??

I'm thinking maybe just some hand weights and body weight exercises. Maybe some light cardio here and there. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

juliekins64

When I was that age I signed up for a kick boxing class for women a few blocks from my highschool.
Loved it! Also, boxing. It can be very empowering for a girl to learn things like this plus she'll "tone up" as well.
This was at a kickboxing/boxing place so the people there were athletic and not dieters, good role models to be around.

While going to the gym is great she may be exposed to people with unhealthy ideals/ideas.
I really think you should find a fun fitness activitiy, exposure to the desperation of the fat loss/fitness industry can cause problems where there were none before. That's just my opinion as slim teen with obese mom back in the day.

schnarfo

Why don't you try a class together like Zumba or body combat?

nicole_andan

My daughter (soon to be 14) says she wants to tone up. She is by no means overweight and doesn't need to actually lose weight. She is about 5'6" or so and weighs 113 (I think). She wears a size 0 in juniors. I want to support her efforts but I want to make sure we're not going down a slippery slope. She LOVES food so I'm not worried about her starving herself but I want to make sure we're doing this in a healthy way.

Any tips or suggestions I can give her? She really just wants to tighten up and tone. I know - what's there to tone on a 113 lbs size 0 body right??

I'm thinking maybe just some hand weights and body weight exercises. Maybe some light cardio here and there. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Why not go to the gym together then you can monitor and support a healthy exercise regime. I think I would be talking to her more about fitness maybe rather than anything else because you can the slim but unfit. If it's a no about the gym what about school sports etc? They would be my thoughts anyway.

kristen6022

My advice is get a Jillian Michaels video that both of you can do. 30 day Shred will "tone her up" in no time.

5-8 pound dumbbells to do combination moves with would help too. At 14 I'm not sure if a gym membership is worth it.

tabinmaine

M16yr old daughter lifts weights with me every morning.... and heavy ones too.

But if you are not up for or into that, maybe some Cha Lean or Jillian Michaels Dvd's from walmart.

StephanieCo3

My sister is 12 and about the size of your daughter. She and my mom do insanity together several times a week. Though my sister tends to lose interest and then go back. When I was that age, I started running 6 miles a day in preparation for high school sports (cross country and soccer). I think just finding an interest you both have and doing it together to be healthy.

__RANDY__

You should teach her about fitness and nutrition now. So she will be ahead of the curve when she is older. Just saying that she doesn't need to lose any weight and you are worried that if she doesn't exercise she will be on a slippery slope is absurd. The only slippery slope she will be on is the slope to obesity.

Any tips or suggestions I can give her? She really just wants to tighten up and tone. I know - what's there to tone on a 113 lbs size 0 body right??

Right just wait until she is obese. Thanks mom

feather314

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Not sure a gym membership is feasible (both time and budget). I do have JM 30 day shred DVD so that one is definitely an option. EEEK!! I did this once and loved the results but it was havoc on my knees by the end.

I have a couple light hand weights (3 and 5 lbs) but can always go grab some slightly heavier ones.

I will definitely also look into some local classes and see what's available.

rekite2000

I think this such a great window of opportunity. You can teach her true health versus starving/exercise cycle. You can teach about fueling workouts with more calories. I can't wait to teach my kids about the science of food. I don't know any parents that teach their kids about all of this. I have read that over half of teen girls are on diets. They are learning from each other and online- you have a chance to give her real information. Plus, you can teach her not to be scared of gyms and weights. I did weights at that age for swim team.

Capt_Apollo

can you get her into any sports at school? swimming, track, soccer? i mean, it's a great free way to exercise.

feather314

You should teach her about fitness and nutrition now. So she will be ahead of the curve when she is older. Just saying that she doesn't need to lose any weight and you are worried that if she doesn't exercise she will be on a slippery slope is absurd. The only slippery slope she will be on is the slope to obesity.

Any tips or suggestions I can give her? She really just wants to tighten up and tone. I know - what's there to tone on a 113 lbs size 0 body right??

Right just wait until she is obese. Thanks mom

I think you misunderstood my comment. By slippery slope I meant that I didn't want her going in the direction of feeling like she needed to be super skinny and lose a lot of weight. I never said that she didn't need to exercise. I never said that I didn't want her to be healthy. I said that she didn't need to lose actual weight. She is healthy and right where she should be for weight (according to growth charts). In today's society it's easy for young girls to get caught up in Hollywood's ideal image of super skinny females. I want her to be healthy but I don't want her to feel like she needs to be super skinny to be beautiful or well liked.

And I am trying to talk to her about health and fitness now - hence the post. I was merely trying to get some ideas that were age and goal appropriate.

Cajunmalakai

First off, "toning" is basically a fitness urban legend. It's muscle growth, plain and simple. I say this because the pursuit of toning can lead to all kinds of incorrect assumptions, flawed exercising methods and all sorts of other problems.

That being said, exercise is always, ALWAYS a great lifestyle change, but your concerns are not without merit. There are indeed some people who can turn exercise and diet into a fixation and it can lead to other issues. However, these people are not typical of the fitness community or lifestyle, and often have other underlying psychological issues.

In any case they key is education. Learning as much about exercise and fitness as you can is most certainly something you and your daughter can do together and you can help steer her in the proper direction.
Being fit and healthy is a lifestyle. It's not about packing on muscle, or losing lbs or becoming stronger. Those things happen, but they are the results not the purpose.

The purpose is to lead lead the healthiest life, with the fittest body possible.

__RANDY__

I think you misunderstood my comment. By slippery slope I meant that I didn't want her going in the direction of feeling like she needed to be super skinny and lose a lot of weight. I never said that she didn't need to exercise. I never said that I didn't want her to be healthy. I said that she didn't need to lose actual weight. She is healthy and right where she should be for weight (according to growth charts). In today's society it's easy for young girls to get caught up in Hollywood's ideal image of super skinny females. I want her to be healthy but I don't want her to feel like she needs to be super skinny to be beautiful or well liked.

I understood exactly what you meant. I just wanted to point out the alternative.

hifromjamers1984

Kettle bells are a great option too. I love them and you burn a "ton" of calories doing a kettle bell work out. Pinterest has a lot of great options workout wise too. Getting outside and kicking a soccer ball is what I'm itching to do but it's been raining the last 2 days.

nicola1141

Great opportunity to encourage fitness. A size zero still needs exercise and "toning" (as in strength). A lot of gyms have rules regarding kids under 14 joining, but I'd find a fun class for her to join, team sports, etc. Encourage fitness for fun as well as exercise and hopefully she'll create healthy fitness habits for life.

rduhlir

Don't confuse toning up to mean losing wieght. The two are completely different. Thus the reason why you can have someone her height and weight wearing a size 4. You can tone and maintain the same weight. Toning could mean just flattening her belly a bit or adding definition to her arms.

That being said, I think you should encourage her with a watchfull eye, making sure she doesn't take it to extreme measures and cross over into a dangerous area. YMCAs usually have a teen weight lifting class where they are taught about exercise and stuff and then get to use the equipment in the gym (parents have to be on sight until age 16), I would suggest looking into it.

belligerent599

Something like martial arts would be pretty cool, IMO. I would have been all over that if my mom had given me the option at 14 (but I'm also what they call "different" so just because I would have liked it doesn't necessarily mean your daughter will).

EvgeniZyntx

Teach her to do things and achieve fitness activties that will tone her up.

My 4 girls are learning a variety of things that they are choosing that include long distance biking, hiking, climbing, sky diving, swimmming lakes, rivers and oceans, trail running to a distance (and not just as a cardio activity), caving, parkour (not a success, honestly), rugby and dance. They are sometimes jealous of some of my expedition level activity and they train to be invited and do things with me.

Exercise for exercise sake and esthetics is great by itself but if you teach them that the world is their oyster and fitness is the key that open its, you take take them to the next level and for life.

Consider ball sports, contact self defense, gymnastics, circus, etc...

feather314

As far as school sports, let's just say she's not sports inclined and is somewhat of a klutz. She does enjoy swimming and the swim team is always an option but she doesn't start high school until the fall and middle schools around here do not have team/school sports.

I could look into the local swim centers for options until then.

I do appreciate your suggestions. I will be looking into local classes like Zumba and kickboxing and such. Wonder if she would be down with the martial arts thing... Thanks again.

Iowangirl2010

My daughters 14, 118 lbs, 5ft 9 maybe 10 now. That being said shes very tall and very thin. I really wish shed bulk up but she has her Dads metabolism. She eats just doesnt put it on.
Shes in track so she runs alot and its actually helped put some shape into her board thin figure. Shes building muscle. She also does minor weight lifting at the local Y and does the treadmill there so she can set a resistance to push her muscles a little harder.
I would say if anyone is looking for any kind of muscle toning anything with weights is the place to start.