Help! Tubby Homeschoolers

[teastaigh]

Has anyone else struggled with getting enough physical activity
for your child? My preteen kiddos are very intellectually-oriented
and not physical. They're also very noncompetitive. I've signed
them up for things like dance (once a week for an hour or so); but
the issue is more getting an hour or so of daily activity.

We're very healthy eaters without junk or fast food. I'm also
sensitive about emphasizing healthy choices and not making
body-specific comments. Both of my children have been teased
about being chubby at the pool this summer ; and a doctor
mentioned it to me today. I feel like a bad mom and don't want
to be neglecting their health.

We live in an area of the country where summers are miserably
hot -- park days usually means kids chatting in the shade of a tree
rather than playing tag or exploring. We also live in minivan-concrete
land.

Does anyone else have naturally sedentary children or kiddos who
might be out of healthy BMI range? Do you have any ideas for me?

My husband and I are both healthy without lovey-chub (cellulite
is another story) and regularly exercise. We also hike and swim and
walk as a family. I'm starting to feel worried and also bad.

thanks for listening
teastaigh

[frogguruami]

I'm in Florida so I understand about miserably hot summers. If they are just a bit overweight then I wouldn't worry to much about it. They will probably thin out when winter gets here.

My youngest just tipped over into the "overweight" BMI category. His problems are medication related but it is still worrisome at times.

Would they exercise with you? DS2 loves to workout with me. It only lasts 5 or 10 minutes but at least he is imprinting a habit!

Maybe some yoga DVDs. Or if they think that is boring then maybe Tae-bo. It is really cliche but my boys LOVE the original Tae-bo video and will play it for fun! LOL

[Callimom]

Originally Posted by teastaigh

Has anyone else struggled with getting enough physical activity
for your child? My preteen kiddos are very intellectually-oriented
and not physical. They're also very noncompetitive. I've signed
them up for things like dance (once a week for an hour or so); but
the issue is more getting an hour or so of daily activity.

We're very healthy eaters without junk or fast food. I'm also
sensitive about emphasizing healthy choices and not making
body-specific comments. Both of my children have been teased
about being chubby at the pool this summer ; and a doctor
mentioned it to me today. I feel like a bad mom and don't want
to be neglecting their health.

We live in an area of the country where summers are miserably
hot -- park days usually means kids chatting in the shade of a tree
rather than playing tag or exploring. We also live in minivan-concrete
land.

Does anyone else have naturally sedentary children or kiddos who
might be out of healthy BMI range? Do you have any ideas for me?

My husband and I are both healthy without lovey-chub (cellulite
is another story) and regularly exercise. We also hike and swim and
walk as a family. I'm starting to feel worried and also bad.

thanks for listening
teastaigh

I guess the question I'd start with is Does this situation exist because of motivation or opportunity? because I think the approach may be different based on what you need to address.

Do you live in a bike friendly area? During biking season we have made the commitment to bike instead of drive anywhere we can (anything in a 10km range is doable for my kids). We do this mostly for environmental reasons but the health benefits are awesome.
Can you do an early morning walk/run/hike before it gets too hot?
Sign up or organize a family baseball league for evenings?
Train for a family fun run/mini-triatholn/bike race?
Take family yoga classes?

Karen

[kathymuggle]

I am not sure we have complete control over our weight.

My DS (12) eats OK, exercises little, and is a rake.

My other children are slenderish, and my DH is normal.

I, however, am fat. Yup, fat. I eat well, and exercise a fair bit...and I am definately overweight. We all live in the same house, eat the same meals, etc, but I am big and they are not. Go figure. I have come to accept this, and I think body acceptance is the way to go.

That being said, there are few kid/family things that help increase our activity.

1. I our tramploine. Yes, some people think they are injury/lawsuit traps - but obesity has its own dangers.

2. bikes. You mentionned they are preteens? They may enjoy the freedome of biking to places - friends, library, etc.

3. You mentionned swimming. Can you go to family swim? Not only will you model activity, but there are less likely to be hoards of teasing kids around.

Kathy

[Flor]

Dss is not into sports so it was always a challange to find physical things for him to do. He also got a bit chubby right before puberty but is now super skinny and eats like crazy. He liked swimming, skateboarding, hiking with us. He liked my exercise bike and would use it a lot. Our parks and rec has some activities that appealed to him, too, like archery, karate, and police and fire camps. We put a bar in our backyard and he likes to do pull ups and flips on it.

[Fuamami]

My dd is not a very naturally active person, though she is quite slender right now. She's only five, though. My sons, however, are huge. They have always been way off the charts and have a ton of baby fat still, and are still very young (3 and 1). But, I have noticed that ds1 has way different eating habits than dd. He just eats way, way more and if it's something he likes he really gorges. His natural inclination is to be more active than dd, but not that much.

Anyway, maybe you could build in more exercise to every day. Do you have a dog? Can they walk it? How about loading up the bikes and going for an hour long ride at a park with trails? Could you encourage them to nap and then they can play tag once the sun goes down?

[Bird Girl]

Do you have a Nintendo Wii? That comes with a sports game, and you can also order the Wii Fit, which teaches yoga and balance exercises.

[tallulahma]

as a once "tubby preteen"

I would leave the situation alone, they know they are overweight and you drawing attention to it by "suggesting" certain exercises could be even more embarrassing to them.

I always wished my mom wouldnt have cared about my weight, wouldnt have made it an issue.

My doctor was the first person to vebally say something to me, and then my mom put me on a diet and made me walk or ride my bike everywhere. It was traumatizing. My sister could get a ride to the store, but if I asked for a quick ride somewhere, I had to ride my bike because I was fat.

nice.

I say, keep living by example, keep feeding nutritious meals, go for family walks, hikes, etc.

I gain weight in the summers here in arizona, maybe 10 pounds.... because it is too hot to go outside and get really active, but come winter we are hiking, walking and playing all day.

Im sure they are fine.

I would reenforce to them that the people teasing them at the pool are the ones who need help in changing their ways, not them.

A good loving soul is much more important than a good bmi score.

my 2 cents

[mommy68]

We hike and bike as a family. We do bike riding regularly. I think that's a good option if you have a nice bike trail nearby. For me, biking is easier than hiking. Not sure why. I guess because at least on a bike I'm sitting down. I don't like exercise.

My kids like basketball but that's really the only sport they have an interest in. We have a b-ball goal at home now, but in the past we used to drive to a local park and use their b-ball goal or go to rec centers and use indoor goals. Have you checked with a local recreation center to see what type of indoor sports they may offer?

We don't do swimming a lot, at least not at pools. I do take my kids to a lake nearby a few times in the summer. My 13 y o son is a bit chubby and he is very self-conscious about his belly but doesn't mind going in a lake versus a pool. People are more scattered out at a lake or at the beach. So he isn't much on pools.

We also encourage the kids to get outdoors at home even if they just go out and walk around in the woods by our house, that's something.

It's funny because my kids aren't video game playing kids nor do they watch t.v. except at night for a couple hours before bed, so it's not like we are making them fat by the things we do. They do eat better at home all day and eat well rounded meals though, so I'm sure that plays a part in it. At school they couldn't have snacks and only had a quick lunch each day.

eta: do your kids like critters or creeks? You could take them to a local creek and let them play around in the water and search for critters. My kids looove to do that. That would at least help them to get outside even if they aren't truly running or biking.

[robin4kids]

I can't read all the replies, but I wanted to say that I agree that we don't have a lot of control over what size we will be. I have a 12 that has always been in the 99% for height and weight. My 10 year old is a stick. My dd is starting to get a small stomach which worries me.

What we have done for our kids is, all three of the oldest are on a swim team from Sept. Till March.They practice 3 times a week and have a meet once a week. My dh brings my 12 year old to the gym 2-3 times a week to do weight training. This is SO GOOD for him. He loves the individual time with dad and he likes see himself improve every week.

I would just get them active.
Robin

[Ruthla]

My kids have gotten a lot more active since my parents bought the Wii- I wouldn't say the Wii is a replacement for outside playtime, but it DOES replace "vegging out on the computer or TV" time with active computer time.

I also want to point out that my HSed DD has far more opportunities for physical activity than her schooled siblings.

[Panthira]

I put my DD on the swim team when she started getting The Belly. She lost it within 2 weeks of 4 days per week of practice. Of course, she only lasted a yr (I told her to give it a yr) before she didn't want to do it anymore. She has steadily gained weight since then, and at 16 is overweight. She is slowly losing it now, of her own initiative.
I also started taking her to the gym, which helps me since I'm overweight now, too.

[Sisyphus]

Dance Dance Revolution. I kid you not. It is the most fun game (you can get it for just about any system, or free standing) and I've yet to meet a kid that doesn't LOVE it... and you have to PULL them away from it. Burns a TON of calories without feeling like "exercise" iykwim