How to get my kid to run
Replies
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Instead of trying to force him to do what you like, encourage him to do activities that he likes. Some people just do not like to run, if you keep on him you will push him further away from fitness all together. Best of luck to you.
This.
Plus, ppl should only run for exercise if it's fun to them, as it is one of the least effective ways of losing weight. If he is overweight, get him some weights and show him how to lift.
Also, what are his eating habits like? If he's eating like crap it won't ever matter how much sports he plays. You can't out-train a bad diet.0 -
How much is he eating that he is playing all these sports and still overweight.
I played a ton of sports as a kid. In high school I did soccer, swim team, and track and I was still fat. 2 hours a day in a pool and I was fat. It is all about diet.0 -
I've never much liked running, myself. I need to have a place/destination to be going to for it to "make sense" to me. As others have said, work on what and how much he eats (help him learn to make better choices and don't make him clean his plate) and encourage him to find activities he likes(don't have to be formal sports). Can you put up a basketball hoop for him at home or is there a schoolyard or park court close enough to get into pickup games? Does he have a bicycle - that was my "thing" as a kid - my sister and I roamed a couple of counties on bikes (although many years ago when it was maybe "safer").0
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It's not the running that's the problem.......................it's the consumption.My oldest son hates to run for exercise and is overweight - but loves sports and plays every sport yet continues to be overweight.
Recently he quit soccer since he had to chose only 2 sports a season (all this running around to 8 practices a week was making me crazy).
Now that I am going to the gym 5+x a week and have for 15 months - how can I get him to start running so that he can succeed? It is so bad that every time he gets up to bat he gets out unless he is walked...
He asked to use the treadmill and I taught him how but the interest faded quickly - apparently it was only cool when he wasn't old enough to use it...
He plays basketball and is much faster on the basketball court - but there is something about baseball that makes him run soo slow...and he gets so sad when he gets out...
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Basketball and what other sport? Because soccer is a lot of running and maybe that is the sport you should've encouraged him to keep. I think the best way to get him to exercise will be to figure out a way to link running/general cardio to improved sport performance. Maybe introduce intervals to mimic the stop/go aspect of basketball?0
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I'm leaning toward the quality and size of what he's eating....but if he was willing to try the treadmill, maybe watching a tv show while running?0
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Take it from me, you can't make him run, and if you try, he will resent it and you.
My dad, while both actively in the Marines and shortly after he was out, forced me to go running with him. 28 years later, I'm just now where I'm thinking about running for myself...but I still think that running sucks.
My son was chubby and over weight most of his child hood, then he signed up for football in high school...and shot up several inches and grew into his weight.
Give your son time.0 -
I always hated running. I loved to hike, bicycle, swim, ice skate for hours and hours, but would not run for half a block. Turns out I have exercise induced asthma that was never diagnosed. I don't wheeze, like most people expect, but my bronchioles go in to spasm and I start to cough. For me, running is the only thing that triggers it (besides getting a cold) so I had always avoided running. It wasn't until my kids, now in their 20-30s were diagnosed that I realized what was my problem. So make sure his health checks out. Including having him run and then get someone to listen to his lungs! Maybe he has knee pain he won't talk about. Could be other things too. Kids often don't realize that it shouldn't hurt to do something.0
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One more thought - why does he play baseball if he's so bad at it? Is he playing because HE wants to or because YOU want him to?0
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I was forced to run track as a child. It gave me bunions and set me up for a life of foot problems, and, to top it off, I didn't enjoy it.0
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I never told him he was fat- nor would I ever say that to him - but without starting it out "hey honey you really need to run so you can get faster" , I am trying to trick him into running by letting him use the treadmill and encouraging him.Does his team do basketball drills during practice? I can understand the "not like running" thing, I didn't like it when I was younger either. Give me sports ANY day. Could also be because my mom told me I was fat and I needed to walk/run like she did. lol You don't mention how old he is, but it sounds like he likes being part of a team, maybe *he* could start something like conditioning training so that his team plays better? It's not running or working out if it's called Conditioning Training. Right?
I love the idea of conditioning - and I have tried that - but alas he hated it - it was a great class called speed and endurance for kids...needless to say it was the worst of all worlds for him since most of the kids in it were already fast.
He is 10 years old.0 -
OH jeez he hasn't even hit puberty yet. Let him be. Seriously, you're going to give him body issues.0
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I think that if he has other intersts--as you mentioned sports, encourage him there to play and do his best. If he has other physical interests outside of that ie. swimming, riding his bike, just playing outside etc. Encourage him that way and participate with him.
Support any activity he wants to do and make it a family effort--since you're on a weight loss grocery, I just suggest doing what my husband and me have done, we keep no more juice, pop, chips, popcorn, cookies, cakes etc. in the house. We have 1 yr old twins and he has a five year old son who stays with us. We give him snacks like an apple with peanut butter, yogurt and banana etc, almonds and dried fruit.
There's no junk food. Once in a while we'll make a treat like a pack of 50 calorie chocolate mousse but we really tried to stay away from the processed food. I'm sure he will start to lose weight on his own from these changes your family is encouraging, and he will run faster on his own : )0 -
If he's playing basketball, then he's already running quite a bit. The issue is not that he isn't running enough! His diet is likely the real reason he's over-weight, which is why he's slow during baseball.
Keep encouraging sports. But you need to start feeding him better quality food. Reduce the sugar, breads, and pasta. Increase the veggies and lean meats.0 -
Definitely not dangerously overweight- just has a big tummy- his legs and arms are really tone and he is really strong. He is 95+% height and weight and the doctor has said his whole life if we watch his diet he will grow into himself- but that has not happened and he gets teased by the scrawny kids in school for being slow.I wouldn't force him to do something he doesn't want. Exercise should be fun for kids and adults.
Is he dangerously overweight? What is his diet like?
He eats well- he will eat anything I put in front of him which consists of high protein, low carb (wheat pasta and the like)- and we talk about protein carbs, fats. I have him do calculations on truly horrible stuff...so he knows if he eats it that it puts him to x% of his daily intake.0 -
What does he like to do? Would he think it was fun to participate in a mud run. If he did, you could enter him and then he could use a C25K training program. Would a hike or backpack trip interest him? Talk about how long he thought it would take the two of you to prepare and set a date. Research and find a conditioning program to help you prepare. How about some kind of family fitness contest with a prize that will motivate him to succeed. Set the goals as something that can change as he experiments to find what he's good at and enjoys. Try something new to the two of you. Tell him you wanted to try...but were a little afraid to try it by yourself, would he be willing to try it with you.
Just don't stress, he's already active in sports.0 -
My kids started running by following our example. We signed our three boys up for the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure two years ago and now they are all runners. I would not push him into running. Each person needs to find what they like doing; running, swimming, basketball, hiking, weight training, etc.0
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He is 95+% height and weight and the doctor has said his whole life if we watch his diet he will grow into himself- but that has not happened and he gets teased by the scrawny kids in school for being slow.
Huh? Did you say he is proportional for height and weight? If he's both 95% for height AND weight then he is not fat should not be dieting. He may just need to work on his sprint speed for baseball. Sprint speed is actually reduced by endurance running. He needs to perform sprints in order to get better at running the bases. If he's big he's going to be slower then skinny lighter kids, that's just normal (maybe he should play football!).0 -
He's 10, I don't think he should have to worry about calories! As an adult, you buy groceries and can pack his lunch or prepare healthy snacks. You make the choices. Not him. He should worry about being a kid and playing. I'm sure he understands an apple is good and a chocolate bar is bad. Only put good choices in front of him.0
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The beatings will continue until morale improves......
First off address the overweight problem - that's due to diet not lack of running ability.
Then let the kid do the sports he wants to do and enjoys.
I agree with this. Straighten out his diet and then exercise.
^^^^^ THIS!!!! Why is it important that he runs?0 -
Much truth, here. I'll also second the "he's not yet hit puberty, relax" and "diet contributes more to weight gain than exercise" sentiments.Instead of trying to force him to do what you like, encourage him to do activities that he likes. Some people just do not like to run, if you keep on him you will push him further away from fitness all together. Best of luck to you.0 -
So you limit the amount of sports he can enrol in but your complaining about his amount of exercise? What to contradict yourself. Guess what? Maybe your boy does not like to run! Find something he likes - not what you like. We are out of the era of parents pushing their lives onto their children right?0
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Tie him to the back of your vehicle and drive at a reasonable pace.
This is what I usually do........0 -
My son is 11, and I sign him up for the 5k fun runs, and do them with him. The wilder, the better. We are doing the foam fest run in August, and he can't wait until the day he turns 15 so he can do the Warrior Dash. He is not an active child, he would rather sit and play video games for the rest of his life than do anything else, BUT, he gets excited for these fun runs. I keep him active by telling him we need to "train" for our runs.0
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He is 10. He shouldn't be having to worry about how many proteins/carbs/etc. he's getting. He should be focusing on being a kid. Talk to him about why he quit baseball - find a way to communicate what he wants to do vs what he thinks you want him to do (which is oh so hard---as a single mom, my son felt most comfortable writing back and forth with me). You worry about what he eats - keep all healthy stuff on hand and easy to access. I was lucky that my son preferred apples to candy bars until his teenage years!
At 10 - he's got some huge growth spurts coming up. I wouldn't fret about his weight at this point. I would focus on health. Ask him about tennis/badminton/volleyball too. All fun things with a lot of movement and agility.
Good luck to you both! Keep us posted!0 -
Definitely not dangerously overweight- just has a big tummy- his legs and arms are really tone and he is really strong. He is 95+% height and weight and the doctor has said his whole life if we watch his diet he will grow into himself- but that has not happened and he gets teased by the scrawny kids in school for being slow.I wouldn't force him to do something he doesn't want. Exercise should be fun for kids and adults.
Is he dangerously overweight? What is his diet like?
He eats well- he will eat anything I put in front of him which consists of high protein, low carb (wheat pasta and the like)- and we talk about protein carbs, fats. I have him do calculations on truly horrible stuff...so he knows if he eats it that it puts him to x% of his daily intake.
Honestly, it sounds like he'll be just fine. He's active, it sounds like he is eating pretty well, you are educating him on proper nutrition.... It sucks that kids are teasing him, but some kids are just jerks. He could be the fastest, slimmest kid on the team and there will be a little jerk in training out there that will find something to tease him about. Every kid has his strengths and weaknesses, maybe running is not his strength, and there is nothing wrong with that, but if you can help him discover what he is good at that'll give him something to hold on to when he is being picked on for silly things like not running fast enough. Maybe that'll help him hold his head high... just a thought.0 -
Got the hoop and a bike (but he is not a huge fan of the bike since he is not as fast as his brother is). I have 4 kids and only my oldest son is overweight, my 3rd child is way underweight and the other 2 are in the normal range. I feed everyone the same. He just wants to eat more and I have to tell him when it is time to stop. I am fairly certain he must find food somewhere else since what I feed him can't keep him heavy.I've never much liked running, myself. I need to have a place/destination to be going to for it to "make sense" to me. As others have said, work on what and how much he eats (help him learn to make better choices and don't make him clean his plate) and encourage him to find activities he likes(don't have to be formal sports). Can you put up a basketball hoop for him at home or is there a schoolyard or park court close enough to get into pickup games? Does he have a bicycle - that was my "thing" as a kid - my sister and I roamed a couple of counties on bikes (although many years ago when it was maybe "safer").0 -
The key to losing weight is diet. You cannot exercise enough to overcome poor eating habits. I would focus on that as a start to fight the fat. Start tracking his intake and his calorie burn for a month and see what that looks like then you can work with him to adjust that.
Its great he enjoys and participates in sports. Maybe there is a sport the two of you could share such as tennis, golf, bike riding.
and maybe he just doesn't want to hang out with his mom..there's always that. 0 -
I always ran when my mother grabbed the wooden spoon.
Or the wire handled fly-swatter. 0 -
Thanks everyone - I love the ideas and support - I really want him to succeed in the sports he loves and I want him to feel good about himself- I am getting that Zombie app for sure!He is 10. He shouldn't be having to worry about how many proteins/carbs/etc. he's getting. He should be focusing on being a kid. Talk to him about why he quit baseball - find a way to communicate what he wants to do vs what he thinks you want him to do (which is oh so hard---as a single mom, my son felt most comfortable writing back and forth with me). You worry about what he eats - keep all healthy stuff on hand and easy to access. I was lucky that my son preferred apples to candy bars until his teenage years!
At 10 - he's got some huge growth spurts coming up. I wouldn't fret about his weight at this point. I would focus on health. Ask him about tennis/badminton/volleyball too. All fun things with a lot of movement and agility.
Good luck to you both! Keep us posted!0
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