what would happen if fitness became a sport?
i mean this in regards to our concept of fitness and what it means to be truly fit....not aesthetic based, function based...
where do you think that would put organized sport?
let's just think big and say that every child was required and taught by teachers (paid REALLY WELL) for a minimum of 1 hour per day physical activity in fitness - not sport based "gym class" - fitness - i.e. db's, gymnastics, rowing, weights, sprinting, throwing....
on weekends they attend 2 hour sessions per day - where the parents have to participate as well (not sit in stands and drink coffee)
then at summer time, it's the same just more of it as in camps - 40 hours per week of it - learning about nutrition, themselves as humans, realizing potential, creating confidence...
MAD you say...well ask any parent with children involved in organized sports today...ask how much time is taken based on that - hockey parents travelling 1 hour each way to watch their 6 year old play 10 minutes in a hockey game....child has fun....parents sit and watch...efficiency..?
the argument lies in the effectiveness of this long term for weekday and weekend "specialized" activities..how about we just get more fit? (no goals, no awards, no "seasons")...just more fit
and how about adults monitoring their progress because they are working out with them...harmful you say...ignorance i say...i can give you 100 examples where i have seen an adult and child collaborate to find that fitness has no age boundaries - we have moms, dads and children working their asses off here at OPT all the time - TOGETHER...and we are starting to see an endless opportunity where these kids can flourish LONG TERM without disruptions due to schedule conflicts, teams, points, assistant captains, periods, halftimes, uniforms....get my drift
just think about the implications long term, we as adults see this as we improve our fitness...ours is broad...why in children do we have to specialize???... if Johnny does not sign up again for hockey next season Dad has no idea how he is going to go play golf on Saturdays when Johnny is supposed to be at hockey...whatever will he do?????
there are no limits to this, the answer to the question of when do they start is answered with current programs at globo gyms alike - gym and swim...you know the classes...funny how we think that invloving kids in weights and exercise at 3 years of age is shunned yet put some skates or a dance outfit on and it's fine....?...interesting..you don't want me to pull out all the stats showing injuries, disorders and the like in organized sport vs free activity and exercise alone do you?
let's think big folks...make fitness your sport and encourage kids and others to enjoy it as their sport as well...not with ellipticals and pecdecks but with jumping, running, throwing, sprinting, lights db's...make it short and sweet and fun...as fitness is!
James
ReplyDeleteYou make many valid points. Orgaized teams do have a place in society as they teach people how to deal with disappointment, work with individuals they do not enjoy, communication skill, ect. However a balance needs to be found between orgaized sports and recreational fitness. I see as many as 40 kids try out for a basketball/volley ball team. 30 of these kid get cut and then turn their backs on sports and fitness due to this negative experience. Their interest in activity dwindles year after year (as does health, self image, confidence, ect)The really sad part is that many kids never even attempt to try out because they are too intimidated by the feeling of being cut. Many of these kids have athletic ability that is never realized, because they lack sports specific skills. The purpose of organized team sports is to turn kids on to fitness, not away from fitness, which is what seems to be more common.
James,
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading the blog on the rowing machine and I have a question. WHat do you suggest for keeping ones butt on the seat when pushing with the legs. I have found myself on the rail and have to slow down.
As a parent of 3 and trains and has a daughter in hockey I will give you the regular Saturday scene.
ReplyDeleteI get up very early to workout in orderto get that important part of my day completed and then get the 6year old on the rink and the 3 and 1 year old in the stands to watch the 6 year old play hockey.
The 3 and 1 year old see the other kids in the stands eat junk so they eat it too.
After hockey the 6 year old gets junk given to her by a parent as we all take turns on Sat to provide these little athletes something to eat after their hard work.
Now I have 3 kids fed crap,crap,crap.
After all what kid is going to be left out of the norm,right?
Dad is off getting groceries.
If we had fitness as a family on Sat instead of organized sport we would all have had exercise and I wouldn't be exhausted since I didn't need to get up at some god awful hour to fit it in and we'd all have had a nutritious snack as I brought it or other like minded people brought it and we'd get groceries some other time.
I did make organic muffins one Saturday when it was my turn to bring the snack after hockey and some kids ate it as they were so darn hungry ,most refused as it looked absolutely foreign to them and one parent out of 18 thanked me for bringing in a nutritious snack. since sept - march it was the only nutrtious snack on sat and I was there every sat morning.
What does that say?
How about some veggies and fruit in the consession stand?
Can we not go back to the days when we all provided our own snack for our own kid? I am all for the family fitness. Am I against organized team sport? no as they are many positives but as you read our situtation on sat mornings which is most families except for the part about one parent getting up to exercise early then you can see how much I would love this concept to come to fruition. Lisa.
I don't have children so maybe it's wishful thinking on my part but why can't parents then opt to bring their own snacks and not have to follow the norm. I would assume that children of the age of 1 and 3 would not have their own money. If they see some other kids in the stands eating junk food them someone must buy it for them. I once had a conversation with a women who said she couldn't get her 10 year old son to stop eating donuts before dinner. I asked who did the grocery shopping. Now in regard to the orginal post. It would be amazing to see more families taking part in activities together. The ones that already do have wonderful relationships it would appear.
ReplyDeleteBaltoe if you find that you are jumping off the seat it means that your placement on the footholds is too high. Try a different setting wit h them.
ReplyDeleteI found that when I started if I was fully at the top (5 on the foot hold) and the same was happening. Now I use 3 or 4 and the aforementioned issue is not arising anymore. Try different foot settings as well as different damper settings. Everyone is different with their body make-up and strengths. A 500m row would be a different foot setting and damper than a 2000m row. Hope that helps a bit.
Rob