Be Your Child’s Personal Trainer: Ball Exercises

Parents with kids who are overweight or inactive often ask me for advice. They’re looking for an exercise plan that their kids will actually enjoy. This can be a tall order since kids who are overweight or inactive often do not feel comfortable playing sports or exercising in a class environment with other kids. These are the kids who would benefit from working with a personal trainer. Some local gyms offer personal training for kids, but there are drawbacks. Personal training can be tough on the family budget. Most trainers will charge the same fee that they would charge an adult client, although you may be able to cut a deal for more kid-friendly thirty-minute sessions. It can also be challenging to find a trainer who has a natural rapport with children and experience working with kids. Unfortunately, they are a rare breed. Many trainers are not skilled in adapting their approach when their client happens to care more about having fun than fitting into skinny jeans.

Of course the best kids’ personal trainer in town has an invested interest your child’s health and goes for quite a bargain... You can be your child’s personal trainer! The Fit Family can help you get started. This column is the first in a series that will present fun exercises specifically designed for training kids.

All the exercises in this week’s training session involve a ball. Using a prop always makes exercise more fun for kids. A simple, inexpensive supermarket ball works well. Choose one that best fits your child’s hands. Play upbeat music in the background for added energy. Incidentally, these exercises are effective for moms and dads too—so feel free to join in!

Warm-up (5 minutes)
Coordination drills:

1. Stand with feet wider than shoulders, knees bent. With your right hand, put the ball between your legs and grab it with your left hand behind your left knee. Circle it around to the front and repeat the sequence with your left hand, simulating a figure eight pattern. As you become more proficient, pick up the pace.
2. Hold the ball at chest level. Circle it behind your back with your right hand and transfer it to your left hand. Bring your left hand to the front, completing a circle. Repeat many times then try reversing the circle.
3. Stand with legs apart. Lunge to the right with the ball in your right hand at shoulder level. Lunge to the left while tossing the ball in an arc overhead. Catch it in your left hand while in the left lunge. This exercise should be done at a quick pace so that the ball barely lands in your hand before you toss and lunge to the other side.
    

Cardio (15 minutes)
Sports Skills:

1. Basketball Dribbling: Dribble in place, moving forward and back, shuffling side to side
2. Soccer-Style Dribbling: Designate a starting line and finish line and go back and forth dribbling the ball. If the ball gets away, chase it and stop it with your foot. No hands allowed!
3. Wacky B-Ball: While the parent skips or jogs around holding a hula hoop vertically overhead, the child runs with the ball (without dribbling) trying to shoot as many “baskets” in the hoop as possible in one minute. Then take a one-minute break by dribbling the ball. For round two and those that follow, challenge your child to make more baskets than before. Between the running, shooting, and fetching the ball, this game becomes aerobically challenging. Make sure to monitor your child’s exercise intensity.
    

Strength Training (5 minutes)

1. Put the ball against your lower back while leaning against a wall. With feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees and go into a wall sit. Hold for 3 seconds then return to a standing position. The ball will roll along your back as you sit down and stand up.
2. Squeeze the ball between your feet while lying on your back. Place your hands under your rear to support the lower back. Lift the ball into the air with your feet by engaging the abdominal muscles. Slowly lower the ball back towards the floor. Repeat. Instead of focusing on the abdominal work, emphasize how funny it is to be lifting a ball with your feet.
    

Cool Down Stretch (5 minutes)

1. Sit on the floor with legs extended in front of you. Roll the ball down your legs to your feet, and hold the hamstring stretch for 10 seconds. Roll the ball back up to your lap and repeat.
2. Sit back-to-back with your child, legs in butterfly position. Pass the ball over your head to your child and slightly lean back as your child reaches forward with the ball into a butterfly stretch. Hold for 5 seconds. Reverse the sequence and repeat.

Finish your training session by massaging your child’s back with the ball. Pat yourself on the back for being your child’s trainer!