Preteen and exercise

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oOTeresaOo
oOTeresaOo Posts: 39 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello All! My 11 year old daughter wants to start exercising. She use to do karate twice a week but stopped due to summer vacation. She's going back this week, But she says she is feeling like a chubber and wants to start jogging with me and even sign up for the gym! I'm sure jogging isn't a problem but what about the gym part? I do cardio 3x and weight training the other 3X a week. Idk if her growing/development can be affected by weight training. Any advice is appreciated :)

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  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,026 Member
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    Cardio and some light lifting shouldn't be a problem. I cannot remember if there is research that shows weight lifting as a youngster affects growth at all. Though, could potentially cause hormonal issues.
  • ashdawg8790
    ashdawg8790 Posts: 819 Member
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    I would just make sure she isn't doing anything too intense... When I was about 13 I was doing strength training stuff for tumbling and dance, but I wasn't really doing weight lifting or anything, it was more like calisthenics-type stuff. Perhaps this is something you should ask her pediatrician? (Just in case!) :flowerforyou:

    P.S. - Great for you and your daughter to be taking the initiative to live healthier lives! Maybe you could both find a new activity to try together if she shouldn't be doing the weights - think tennis, hiking, biking... :-) Good luck to you and yours!
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    Body weight exercises are probably ideal. I was in gymnastics from age 3-15, and we did mostly body weight exercises (push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, leg lifts, squats and lunges, hand stand push-ups, toe raises, etc.) but occasionally used wrist and ankle weights while doing leg lifts and other gymnastics movements. Heavy weights might pose a problem to growth plates and joints, but you might want to talk to her doctor and a trainer at the gym. The gym may also have age restrictions on certain equipment.
  • lizzzylou
    lizzzylou Posts: 325
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    I would just make sure she isn't doing anything too intense... When I was about 13 I was doing strength training stuff for tumbling and dance, but I wasn't really doing weight lifting or anything, it was more like calisthenics-type stuff. Perhaps this is something you should ask her pediatrician? (Just in case!) :flowerforyou:

    P.S. - Great for you and your daughter to be taking the initiative to live healthier lives! Maybe you could both find a new activity to try together if she shouldn't be doing the weights - think tennis, hiking, biking... :-) Good luck to you and yours!

    This is great advice IMO. For weight lifting I would recommend using her body weight more than anything.
  • oOTeresaOo
    oOTeresaOo Posts: 39 Member
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    Thanks for all your input! I have signed us up both for the Color Run and she has started the C25K training program. She's never been into any type of exercise other than Me dragging her on 7 mile hikes. She's scared to death of riding a bike so jogging is a great start! I will have her wait in the gym but she is returning to karate tomorrow :) again, thank you all for your input!
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
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    I'd be concerned about your 11 yr old thinking she is a "chubber".
  • jogglesngoggles
    jogglesngoggles Posts: 362 Member
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    My 12 year old is a member of my gym and my 8 year old is training for a 5k. There is nothing wrong with teaching your children healthy habits! The only thing I would stress is make sure to educate your daughter about proper nutrition, and to love herself. The fact that she called herself a chubber at such a young age, could be a pre-curser for a weight/body image problem. By all means let her work out with you, encourage it really, it can be a great fun time together. Good for you for being a great example to your daughter and being active in her life! With proper education you are setting her up for success :)
  • oOTeresaOo
    oOTeresaOo Posts: 39 Member
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    Thanks for your concern. Of course I am always concerned with anything she says. She has great self esteem and I don't believe there are any body image issues. I think she's just feeling this way because she hasn't been doing any physical activity since school has been out and she just got back from summer at grandmas :) My baby is my number one priority and I make sure she knows how beautiful and what an amazing person she is :)

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