Tween exercise
I'm worried about my 12-yr son's lack of exercise.. we've tried everything and he just isn't into any of it. He liked swimming and did Barracudas for over a year, but we finally got tired of his complaints and the fighting and gave up. He's not the most coordinated kid, and physical stuff just doesn't seem enjoyable for him. By comparison our younger kid gets lots of exercise just running around with friends, soccer at school, using the trampoline, etc.. The older one would prefer not to move. He'll hike or take a bike ride with us on the weekends, but it doesn't seem like enough. Has anyone had any luck getting a sedentary kid moving??
Sep 1, 2018
Parent Replies
Our kids (12 & 14) are also inclined toward a sedentary lifestyle. Anything involving physical effort or joining a team has been a hard sell. They probably come by it naturally though as my husband and I are not athletic or extraverted - we exercise for health, not because we enjoy it. But we wanted to instill healthy habits in the kids. Our solution was to buy them both Fitbits and to give them both a steps goal for the day that they can achieve however they wish. That way, it's in their hands to monitor, not ours, which has greatly reduced the nagging. They know they should do things like walk the dog in the afternoon if they have spent a whole Saturday on the couch and their steps number is low. Interestingly, we learned that they were actually getting more steps then we expected (more than us!) during the week because they walk to school and walk between classes all day. So that allowed us to back off a bit. Another nice side effect of the Fitbit has been info about how well they are sleeping! Which is extra important for the teenage years.
I have had the same problem with my 15 year old boy for quite a few years. I used to force him to play sports, and he wasn't half bad, but around 5th grade he just refused. I tried hiring him a trainer last year and he did that for a month or so and then stopped. I think there's a hole in the exercise industry. Someone should come up with something for kids, especially boys, who aren't interested in organized sports. Wish there was something.
My two daughters were the same. I Ernie’s them at Terry’s wonderful Kuong Nu martial arts studio in Emeryville. It was great esp. for the older one.
Does he have PE at school? My daughter likes having a regular PE class at school because she likes exercise but can't seem to make time for it outside of school. Does he have friends who might want to go to the park with him? At 12, he and his friends are old enough to go out in the afternoon by themselves, that might be a motivator.
You might try fencing! West Berkeley Fencing Club has reasonably affordable lessons. My non-sporty child has really liked it. And I think they do get some exercise.
Perhaps he'd like rowing? Believe it or not, high school rowing is full of kids who didn't like sports until they tried rowing! My kid included ;)
There are two local clubs that I know of that offer middle school rowing programs—Lake Merritt Rowing Club and Oakland Strokes.
I recommend your 12 yr. old son try rowing with Artemis Rowing in Oakland. Artemis has a great recreational Middle School program. My daughter tried out rowing when she was in 6th grade and fell in love with the sport. Several kids in the program also did no sports prior to trying out rowing with Artemis and were hooked. I recommend Artemis because it is a smaller club so the coaches can give the individual rowers more attention. Also, the philosophy of the club is to do your best and have fun. But not having a win at all costs philosophy does not mean that Artemis rowers at the high school level are not competitive. In fact, Artemis has sent at least one boat to USRowing Youth Nationals every year for the past 6 years. Last year Artemis seniors placed 4th overall in their event. Now is a good time to check out Artemis as there is a Free 2 Week Trial. You can contact me for more information mallannao [at] gmail.com. You can also visit the club Web page www.ArtemisRowingClub.org
Good Luck!