How much exercise is TOO much for a child?

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Got a 5yo (turns 6 next month) who's been going with me on cycle rides...partly so I continue my fitness around a single mother schedule and partly to tire HIM out (his energy is literally endless).

We started out riding about 2-3 miles three times a week, now we're up to about 7 miles four times a week.
He eats good when hungry, no problem getting water down him.
He is on the lower weight end for his age....44inches and has been sitting between 40-45 pds forever.

He really wants to bike a trail that we've driven. It's 10.5 miles so we've slowly been inching our way toward that, but someone made a comment the other day that it's a pretty aggressive physical goal for a 6yo.
Yes, we take water and an appropriate snack.

There's no other activity going on right now other than the normal school schedule. When evening football starts we'll drop the bike riding for the most part...so no overlapping of demanding activities.

Does this sound like he's getting too much exercise? Your thoughts?

Just to point out (in case)...this is not something I'm pushing on him. He really does enjoy it.

[meemee]

aaaaargh all our ideas of what a 6 year old can and cannot do.

too much exercise is when the child complains. that can happen at the end of a 15 minute walk or a hour bike ride.

at 18 months my dd used to walk a mile to the park, play hard run around for 4 hours and then walk a mile back. at 2 she could easily walk 3 miles taking our time.

i cant see why this would be an issue if your son enjoys it.

curious after the ride after a rest is he hungry.

my almost dd swims about 30 laps when she is in the swimming pool and when seh comes out she is RAVENOUS. i remember that from my childhood too. wonder if its the same with bike rides.

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Originally Posted by meemee

aaaaargh all our ideas of what a 6 year old can and cannot do.

i cant see why this would be an issue if your son enjoys it.

Ha, ha. Yes, yes, I agree. I'm actually just glad he isn't complaining! Trust me, I agree.

I guess maybe I missed the mark getting my query across.

Medically speaking. Is that the right way to ask?
Am I doing his little body any harm, but allowing this much activity?
Should I be more worried about this unneccesarily nutritionally depleting him?

That was where the other person was expressing concern and what peaked my thoughts.

I'm really not worried about him getting too much activity, per say!
But even for adults a certain amount of activity is hazardous and I just didn't know where the limit was for a 6yo.

I suppose he is hungry after a ride, but I never really took a ton of notice since the riding timeframe naturally falls between dinner and evening snack time.

[alfabetsoup]

Do you have a good ped you could ask? Otherwise if he isn't too tired and isn't losing weight I don't see why it wouldn't be a problem. When I was 9, my mom & brother (6) & I used to ride to the library 7 miles away--14 mile round trip. We were hungry afterward, and tired but it didn't seem like too much to me at the time.

The only thing I would be concerned about is getting him to eat enough to replace the calories he's using--I would feed him like a high-end athlete, lots of carbs, lots of protein and lots of calories!

[elmh23]

I don't think you are unless you make him push through any pain (which it doesn't sound like you're doing.) Feed him good, healthy, protien rich snacks and drink lots of water (and maybe juice at the end of a ride to make sure his sugars don't go out of whack) and I think he'll be fine. My dd is 5.5 (6 in November) and rides about 7 miles to my SIL's house with dh on the trail-a-bike, plays for a couple hours and then rides back.

If you're really worried, maybe ask his doc?

[meemee]

Originally Posted by HappilyEvrAfter

Medically speaking. Is that the right way to ask?

take this for what its worth. i dont buy into the medical advice at all.

i feel each of us are very different and react to things v. differently and we really cant use a formula on EVERYBODY.

so i would keep an eye on son. the KEY is he is ENJOYING himself. if he is truly enjoying it from the depth of him - i think even if you take poison it turns into vitamins for your body when you are truly enjoying yourself iykwim. my gpa always told us that. and i believed him. he would never force us to eat. if we hated it he said you are just passing it thru ur body and you will get no nutrition for it. makes sense to me.

like pp said watch his weight. thought he might naturally lose some at the end of summer so watch out for that. or see if he is getting recuring pain at certain parts of the body.

my dd has been riding a tandem with her dad since she was 4 or 5 and they go all over town.

the only way is to do it and see what happens.

[Llyra]

I would take my cue from the child. Is he enjoying himself? Is he sleeping soundly at night, eating good food in sufficient quantity, staying hydrated, and generally happy during his days? Then I'd let him be.

If I thought he was getting overtired, I might gently suggest cutting back a bit. I would also watch out for injury-- like the PP said, he shouldn't be allowed to ignore pain or try to "push through" it. I'd also watch out for signs that he's losing interest, or that he's wanting to spend more time on other things.

Otherwise? I don't think there's such a thing as too much exercise. He's building a strong, healthy body, and that's great. As long as it's at his initiative, and you're tuned in to the possibility of injury, and he's allowed to stop or cut back if he decides he wants to.

[c'est moi]

i would also consider taking your son and his bike to a bike shop every few months or whenever you notice a growth spurt. i see soooo many kids riding around on bikes that are not fit right for them or just the plain wrong size. here and there to a friends house, no big deal i guess. but if he's consistently riding the bike for fun/fitness, i'd be concerned about him riding a poorly fit bike on a regular basis. not good for posture, comfort, and the like.

also want to say good for you for setting a good fitness example for your son.

[cjam]

I have an extremely active DD5 and he tends to get a bit clumsy at the end of a very active day. I think it's muscle fatigue causing it. I would ensure that he takes it easy after a long bike ride so that he doesn't fall and get hurt. Climbing on a play structure with exhusted legs could end with a nasty fall.

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Thank you all for replying!!! I get what you're saying and will keep an eye for any red flags for sure.

I would have asked his dr, but we're tied to a military clinic and for non-emergency issues it can take almost two months to get an appointment.
I had to wait 6 weeks to get a school physical appt. ...but it's "free" so I try to keep that in mind when I get annoyed.

Originally Posted by c'est moi

also want to say good for you for setting a good fitness example for your son.

Thank you. With his energy leve I have to put exercise in the most positive. Keeping active is the only thing that's saved us from negative hyperactivity!


We did our 12 mile ride today and stopped by the gas station on our way back for a rest and a drink other than water. When I headed for home he asked why we weren't going to back track the 12 miles we just came....WHAT?!?! He really did seem to enjoy it...we went through some pretty nice forrested parts.
Came home and he still wanted to play in the yard refusing a nap. Now he's got a friend over and doesn't show the first sign of winding down.
See, you thought I was kidding about his endless energy!!

...and I'll def keep an eye on his bike quality....esp if we're gonna be riding like this!

THANKS!!!

[terrordactyl]

i think if he's enjoying himself he's fine... parents these days put to much on there children it used to be that kids would go out in the morning on there bikes an not come home till the evening... after running around all day

[meemee]

i read this article in our newspaper today and thought of you and your son.

http://familyonbikes.org/

[34me]

I am an exercise physiologist. There is absolutely no reason your son should not ride his bike as you are doing. When he stops enjoying it or complains of muscle soreness reevaluate. Something like bike riding is not the same as asking a 6 year old to weight train. It was not unusual for kids to ride this far before school busses.

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Originally Posted by meemee

i read this article in our newspaper today and thought of you and your son.

http://familyonbikes.org/

Oh, wow. Thanks for the link!!!

Originally Posted by 34me

I am an exercise physiologist. There is absolutely no reason your son should not ride his bike as you are doing. When he stops enjoying it or complains of muscle soreness reevaluate. Something like bike riding is not the same as asking a 6 year old to weight train. It was not unusual for kids to ride this far before school busses.

Thank you. You're right. I just don't understand why other parents feel like I'm setting my kid up for a disaster.

I mean, it is hot here. Maybe that's what they're really worried about, but we hydrate and he's been acclimated, we take rests and watch the WBGT warnings.

I dunno. All I know is that there is now way he and I would survive each other without getting some of his energy expended!! Sitting on the couch inside is just not an option!!!!!