Is it bad my daughter wants to shred?!?

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  • tkcasta
    tkcasta Posts: 405 Member
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    It's fine, but she shouldn't use weights.
  • mareeee1234
    mareeee1234 Posts: 674 Member
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    6?????? :cry:
  • 2FatToRun
    2FatToRun Posts: 810 Member
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    OH OK!!! so the 30 day shred is not about dieting? How stupid of me.
    I guess thats why I asked.

    30 day shred is about exercising.....what you consume is about dieting. Two totally separate things but when accompanied together properly will help you reach the best results possible. She just said her little girl wants to do what she is doing exercise wise. She is too young to correlate weight loss with eating and exercise so she needs to be taught that. Starting by allowing her to participate is a great first step to introduce health and nutrition to her. Plus she will be able to eat more if she likes it and exercises with mommy. The goal is to teach them it is okay to eat and that eating can lead to fat loss coupled with exercise. She is setting her daughter up to never have an ED. Very smart mommy!

    I'm not so convinced by your arguments. I don't think it's a problem to let her 6 year old do 30DS, but I don't think she should being led to the idea of needing to exercise to lose fat. At six, she should understand you exercise because it's fun and because it's good for you. If she needs specifics about why it's good, I'd stick with things like it helps your muscles get strong, it helps you sleep better at night and it's good for your brain to make your blood move fast around your body by moving your body fast. I would strongly suggest leaving out all reference to exercise and fat loss at this age.

    It is not an argument it is a statement. I am not trying to convince you of anything. My statement....
    "The goal is to teach them it is okay to eat and that eating can lead to fat loss coupled with exercise."
    is fact. Says nothing about the little girl being worried about being fat. If you choose to teach your children that you exercise because it is fun and helps your muscles get strong that is your choice. I think that leaving out the fact that it prevents you from being fat is just as important as the others. It is not okay to be fat and when ppl stop coddling children about it or hiding it from them we will be a much more healthier world. It is never too early to teach a child that fat is not okay and can lead to many health problems.
  • Woomytron
    Woomytron Posts: 253 Member
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    My (almost) 3 year old tries to do the workouts with me. Just let her copy you. Don't let her use weights. Its great to be a role model. Don't try and hide the fact that you eat healthy and workout from her... its great for her to learn to be healthy now instead of trying to figure it out when she is older.
  • fIashforward
    fIashforward Posts: 66 Member
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    There is a big difference between reaching your children to lead a healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly, and teaching them to be careful about calories and be almost scared to eat.

    If I were you, talk of being healthy to her but limit talking about calories and weight loss around her.
  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    You might want to change your language at home, saying that you need to get fit, rather than lose weight. That' what I do to prevent my kids getting unnecessary hang-ups from my attempts to be healthier. You can tell her also that she's welcome to do it (I'd say without weights) but that she gets fit from running around and playing outside, so she doesn't need to do a special routine the way mommy does.

    This is excellent advice :)

    this
    if she want to use weights, give her really light ones or maybe 2 small water botles (empty)
  • dirtbikegirl5
    dirtbikegirl5 Posts: 391 Member
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    Getting kids into exercise is not a bad thing, but I would be careful about using the words "lose weight". At 6, or any age, it should be about being healthy and eating right. I am a lifelong anorexic and bulimic so I have to watch the words that I say to my impressionable 8 year old daughters. I try to give them a healthy outlook rather than talk diets. They both love to ride bicycles, run and eat right. I don't want them to have a body image problem but I also want them to know that eating right and exercise makes you feel good. That said, my girls love to do the videos with me and I do not let them use weights.
  • 2FatToRun
    2FatToRun Posts: 810 Member
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    My (almost) 3 year old tries to do the workouts with me. Just let her copy you. Don't let her use weights. Its great to be a role model. Don't try and hide the fact that you eat healthy and workout from her... its great for her to learn to be healthy now instead of trying to figure it out when she is older.

    OMG too cute I thought 6 yr old was cute but 3 ahahaha! This thread has made my day there is HOPE!!!! TY all I am going to make sure I exercise today!
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    Both my 7 year old and my (almost) 3 year old work out with us and I'm working on jogging with both. Yes, the 3 y.o. has a long way to go but if I tickle her she'll run about 2 miles. lol My 7 y.o. is in MMA classes 5 days a week and works out with kettle bells in addition. I think the important part is in how you present it. This is "play," "fun," and "getting strong," and not about losing weight.
  • nauticaboo
    nauticaboo Posts: 38 Member
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    My (almost) 3 year old tries to do the workouts with me. Just let her copy you. Don't let her use weights. Its great to be a role model. Don't try and hide the fact that you eat healthy and workout from her... its great for her to learn to be healthy now instead of trying to figure it out when she is older.

    This. As long as you're not going around talking about how fat you are and being negative all the time, then it doesn't hurt to instill healthy habits. My DD just turned 4, and she has been joining in with me every once in a while. She also thinks that most food is homemade. I love instilling this healthy mindset into her, without having her form a negative opinion/issues surrounding weight. I also agree with another poster that she'll probably lose interest after a while.
  • rosiereally2
    rosiereally2 Posts: 539 Member
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    She just wants to emulate you. My 9-year-old son is the same way.

    Let her do it, but I would recommend letting her do a Walk Away the Pounds video or something similar with you instead. It's simple and safer for a little one.

    My son already knows how to safely do push-ups, etc since he's about to test for his karate black belt, but I would be concerned with the pacing of the Shred leading to sloppy form and potential injury, so I don't let him do it.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    30 day shred is no different or more difficult than the stuff they have your children do in PE class. It only seems difficult to us adults because we have been sedentary for so long. A lot of the exercises uses in 30DS were basically "borrowed" from the stuff our PE coach made us do as a warmup before running around and playing sports in elementary school. I suspect not only will she not injure herself, it'll be EASY for her.
  • ThatCatholicGirl
    ThatCatholicGirl Posts: 209 Member
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    No it's not bad at all hunni. Encourage her with her exercising and give her a couple of empty water bottles (soda size) for "weights" - that's what I give my lad he loves to exercise with me!

    As someone has already said, be careful about how you talk about calories and weight loss. Our children look up to us and desire to imitate us, it how they learn. My son once asked me if he needed to lose weight too and I told him "No, mama has to lose weight because when I was growing you in my tummy I became a lot fatter. You haven't had a baby nor are you fat so you don't have to worry about having to lose any weight do you?" When he told me "no" I figured he'd got it and hasn't mentioned it since. I told him he eats healthy food so he can run really fast (which he loves!) and be the best at sports, rather than eating healthy to help lose weight. However, my son is 5 so a little older than your daughter, but you know how much she can comprehend.

    Overall, I think it's great that you're being a positive role model for your daughter and instilling good habits :smile:
  • Pami_225
    Pami_225 Posts: 3
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    30 day shred is no different or more difficult than the stuff they have your children do in PE class. It only seems difficult to us adults because we have been sedentary for so long. A lot of the exercises uses in 30DS were basically "borrowed" from the stuff our PE coach made us do as a warmup before running around and playing sports in elementary school. I suspect not only will she not injure herself, it'll be EASY for her.

    Exactly.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    This is normal for kids this age to want to be like mommy. My 6 year old daughter has some little weights and she lifts them, and says that when she gets older she wants to lift weights so she can be strong like mommy. She also asks to get on my back, so I can do squats because she wants to "be my weights". And we also dance together (I am a dancer). Even when we brush our teeth she watches me and does what I do and then says she wants to be just like me when she grows up. You should be aware of how you talk about things, though. I tell my girls I am building muscle, and I focus on muscle. I don't talk about fat with them. I don't want to introduce that aspect too soon (they are very slender and could actually benefit from gaining). Also they do circuit training on the playground and they run (my 9 year old came in 4th place in the kids portion of the Vancouver marathon for her age group).
  • nauticaboo
    nauticaboo Posts: 38 Member
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    30 day shred is no different or more difficult than the stuff they have your children do in PE class. It only seems difficult to us adults because we have been sedentary for so long. A lot of the exercises uses in 30DS were basically "borrowed" from the stuff our PE coach made us do as a warmup before running around and playing sports in elementary school. I suspect not only will she not injure herself, it'll be EASY for her.

    This as well. My DD does some of the exercises better than I can do them, because she hasn't lost her flexibility, stamina, or energy.
  • oregonzoo
    oregonzoo Posts: 4,251 Member
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    It's great she wants to exercise. I agree you really need to limit the amount you talk about calories, or weight.
    Those aren't things I discuss. When my daughter asks why I eat what I eat, or why I like to go to the gym so much I just explain I want to be healthy and strong.

    I want healthy happy children with healthy happy minds. I do not want them to be prisoners of calories.
  • nekoxvampyx
    nekoxvampyx Posts: 163
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    aw adorable! let her :) it'll be good fun and if shes getting into fitness at a young age even better :)
  • Tanja_CHH
    Tanja_CHH Posts: 216 Member
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    Let her work out and make sure she is safe and has fun, but do not let her undereat at the age of 6 and stop talking about calories and weight with her! Its okay to encourage an active lifestyle, but you do not want her to start becoming obsessive over what she eats at the age of 6, as long as she has a healthy, balanced diet.
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
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    It's not a bad thing at all, shes seeing you exercise and obviously wants to be just like mummy! However like other have said, watch your language, emphasise being fit and healthy instead of loosing weight. Let her do shred with you so you can watch her do it and make sure she's not going too hard, give her very light weights or bottles, correct her form and enjoy the time together. A 6yo version of shred is not going to be the same as an adults version, she will just have fun, my daughter who is 2 plays 'exercise' when I do my insanity, she lifts her arms, jumps and trys to do a push up, it's cute!

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