It’s tough getting kids to exercise these days, what with much of today’s entertainment coming from screens. Only 1 in 3 children are physically active every day, and children and teens spend more than 7 hours per day using electronic devices for entertainment. One girl aims to motivate the “iPad generation” to get off the couch and get physical instead:
This is Milla Bizzotto is 9 years old, and she’s a badass
Last May, she completed an intense obstacle course designed by the US Navy, the 24-hour BattleFrog challenge. The course includes 36 miles: an 8km swim and 25 obstacles for six laps. Phew.
Her father, Christian Bizzotto, is the founder of Focused Movement Academy in Miami
In an interview with Fatherly, Christian recently shared some tips on getting kids to exercise.
Here are some of the points that he raised:
Get kids motivated
“When [the kids] hit their own goals or goals they might not have even thought were impossible, something transforms inside them and the kids want to keep coming back and pushing their own limits every day.”
You could also help your child by finding an activity they would enjoy. If your child enjoys dancing, enroll him in regular classes. Is she interested in tennis? Help her pursue that. Kids often just need a little push to get started.
Teach them to respect their limits
Remember to tell your child to listen to their body. You could also ask a doctor about suitable exercises for your child.
“Kids will always try to push the limit. They don’t understand a safety net as much as we do, so it’s important for us as parents or as coaches that we pump the breaks on kids.”
The goal is to teach kids about resilience
“A lot of our programming is written to just embrace things that are tough mentally. It’s about the mindset. Everything in life is an obstacle, not just on the course or in the gym. An obstacle could be the way we deal with things at home, or a homework assignment, or a sibling, or anything like that.”
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