11 year old exercising

This thread made me quite sad, in the sense that it even exists. :frown:

I think the biggest difference between kids today and when I was a child are that we were never bored, always up to doing something, playing outside without this ridiculous parental paranoia that exists now. You were home when it gets dark and those were the rules.

Plus we never had free access to food. I now see kids just going into the kitchen, opening a cupboard, taking what they like without asking and walking off to their room. When did that become acceptable?? My mother or grandmother would have gone apoplectic if I had done that. You could ask to have something but no meant no.

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?

At age 7 my daughter was doing an hour of gymnastics, at age 11 an hour of track running, and now at 13 she is doing an hour of dance (street modern jazz and disco), I'd say so long as YOU don't push her, she's fine. She'll mostly likely stop or slow down on her own without anyone pushing her to 'go for the burn' or what ever the current trendy phrase is.

^this

You're spot on and Robert Winston's conclusion was pretty much exactly that. The world hasn't hugely changed but the media sensationalises anything negative and bad creating this fear that it's somehow no longer safe to be out.

Interesting you mentioned cycling to the shops, because when they were about ten or so he interviewed parents and asked if they allowed their kids to walk to the corner shop for a pint of milk and some wouldn't. Part of growing up is to become more independent, and he did express concern that in those families where the kids weren't allowed to do anything at all without supervision, that it would ultimately hinder their development.

I think the way I grew up would these days almost be considered neglectful by some parents. We'd be out in the woods building dens for hours without an adult in sight. :happy:

If I were you, I'd talk to her about her eating habits and perhaps introduce her to healthy snacks - one's that she'll prefer to chocolate and crisps! Such as a healthy variety fruits, granola bars etc.. In my opinion, I think she is too young to be working out at the gym. You should definitely encourage her to swim, go on bike rides, the trampoline and walks - I don't know what gym equipment she's using, but I think that it'd be detrimental in the future - she'll get an obsession with her weight and body, and that's often how eating disorders start but definitely encourage healthy habits!
I hope that helps:)
X

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!

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.

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.

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. : )

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.

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.