Fitness for Fun: Climbing to the Top

Getting in your optimum shape with SD PERSONAL TRAINER can open up a whole new world of opportunities for you. Once you are confident about your body, fitness and strength, there are all kind of new activities that you can try. Getting off the couch is the first step. SD PERSONAL TRAINER and CrossFit 619 are your windows to new fitness activities. Try indoor climbing.

Climbing exercise engages all muscle groups simultaneously and promotes balance and mental control. It requires good aerobic, cardio and balance skill.

As you begin climbing, your body will be forced into all kinds of new positions and requires reaches with both the hands and feet. After a few turns at climbing the wall, you will surely be met with sore forearms, hands, fingers and calf muscles the next day. Start out with the easier climbs if you are a beginner. An indoor climbing studio with marked paths is a great way to learn the strategies, as well as the how to wear a harness and tie safety knots. It is important to learn the ropes of climbing safety before you take off on your own.

You will quickly begin to develop core strength, as well as strong arms, back and hands. These are all great muscle groups to work on, as their strength will be highly functional in your daily life. As you progress, you will find you shoulder and hip flexibility improve.

Another benefit of indoor climbing is that it can be enjoyed by the whole family. It is a great activity for couples or parents and kids. You will be surprised to see your kids ease their way up the wall, even when you are struggling.

How Can Parents Help Their Children Be Healthier?

If your child is overweight, there are many ways to prevent further weight gain and help your child regain a healthy body weight and body image at the same time. Even if your child is in a healthy weight range, it is important to give children healthful, low-fat snacks and make sure that they take part in physical activity every day.


Many experts recommend that television, including video games and computer time, should be limited to seven hours per week. Older children should be taught to make healthier choices when selecting snacks and meals. It is important for children to avoid snacking or eating meals while watching television.


Parents set the standard for their children. Here are some suggestions for keeping your home child-health friendly.


Plentiful Pantry: Keep your kitchen stocked with delicious and nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, lean proteins and low-fat dairy products. By eliminating junk food from your kitchen, hungry children will automatically make the right choices at home.


More Mealtimes: Have meals as a family. Don’t place your child on a restrictive diet – just make sure that all the choices in the home are healthy for them. Food should never be used as a reward or a punishment. Make sure that weigh-loss meals are low in calories but not in essential nutrients. Any weight loss management program should be supervised by a physician.


Sweet Treats: Sweets are just that – a treat. By giving up sweets entirely you could alienate your child. Make sure that kids understand that sweets are something special, not to be eating every day. One suggestion is to go out for them as a special event and not keep them at home. For example, going out for ice cream, rather than keeping it in the freezer, teaches kids that it is something special. This can also be great family bonding time!


Fore go Fast Food: Studies show that overweight teens consume about 400 more calories a day when they eat fast food. Help you child appreciate the delicious taste of fresh, healthy food.


TV Turn Off: Make the home and family a time for activity, not sedentary TV-watching. Having a TV in the bedroom may encourage kids to spend more time in a solitary, sedentary environment.


If your child is already overweight, it is important that they know they are loved and appreciated, no matter what their weight may be. An overweight child will likely know better than anyone else that they have a weight problem and don’t need reminders of it at home. Encouragement and proper modeling from their parents is the best attitude to take.


Focus on your child’s health and positive qualities, not their weight. Try not to make them feel different – focus on gradually changing your family’s physical activity and eating habits and be a good role model for your child. If they see you consuming healthy foods and engaging in proper physical activity, they are more likely to do so themselves. If you are an active parent, subtly get them involved in your activities and you may find their healthy and body image improving along with your relationship growing.


The U.S. Surgeon General also reminds us that an appropriate goal for many overweight children is to maintain their current weight while growing normally in height. They also recommend 60 minutes of daily physical activity for children most days of the week, but even greater amounts may be necessary for sustaining weight loss. Make sure that these vigorous activities are fun for your child.


If you are interested in getting on the track to health, come to BOOTCAMP 619!

Overweight and Obesity in Children

Though there is no general agreement in the medical community on the definition of obesity in children, most professionals use the body mass index as a guideline. BMI, or Body Mass Index, indicates body weight measured in pound in proportion to the height measured in feet for adults. Studies have revealed that if an adult’s body mass index is 17-32 then they have a longer life.

It has been seen that men have less fat than women with the same body mass index. BMI can also relate to a person’s health condition.

If you have a high body mass index then you can be at risk of having high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

In children, there are varying opinions on the body mass index, but some define obesity as a body weight at least 20% higher than a healthy weight for a child of that age, or a body fat percentage above 25% in boys or above 32% in girls.
The Center for Disease Control defines obesity as a BMI greater than the 95th percentile. It has published tables for determining this in children.

Obesity is now among the most widespread medical problems facing children and adolescents in the United States. About 16% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 and children aged six to 11 are obese in the United States. It has a devastating affect on a child’s life and can increase the risk of a number of health problems, as wells as emotional and social problems. Obese children are also more likely to be obese as adults, which increases their risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as other serious health problems.


High Cholesterol
Hypertension
Respiratory Ailments
Orthopedic Problems
Depression
Type 2 Diabetes


Studies have shown that overweight adolescents have a 70% change of becoming overweight or obese adults, with the rate increasing to 80% if one or more parent is overweight or obese.

For more information on how to help your family stay fit, talk with Chris Keith at BOOTCAMP 619.

BOOTCAMP 619’s Guide to Family Fitness

A healthy family can be a happy family. At BOOTCAMP 619, we believe it is important for our members not only to be fit themselves, but to be ambassadors of good health and fitness to their families and community.

Even if you are getting a later start, it is important to work toward a healthy lifestyle at any age. However, to live a long and vigorous life, it is best to start early.

Educating and modeling healthier fitness and nutrition choices for our children is crucial. Aside from the fact that proper diet and exercise for children will promote good physical progress, it is also important for psychological development and life-long health.

Well developed motor skills
Social development and confidence
Good nutritional skills for life-long health
Strong immunity and disease fighting
Increased bone density for safety
Promotion of weight control

With childhood obesity and its related diseases on the rise, along with common budget cuts in children’s physical education in schools, BOOTCAMP 619 is on a crusade for the promotion of our children’s health. As kids are getting ready to go back to school, BOOTCAMP 619 will post a series of articles for parents on such issues as childhood obesity and physical education for kids, along with information on how parents can promote a healthy lifestyle for their children.

Keep watching the BOOTCAMP 619 blog for more information and come in to talk to Chris Keith about your fitness plans and how you can help your kids stay fit.