Help..teens and exercise?

SheWolf

SheWolf

Cathlete
Please help! My almost fourteen neice who is on the heavy side has asked me to help here with working out and her diet. Helping here clean up her eating is easy, lots of room for improvement! I am just not sure what to do with workout wise? Should I do weight work with her but keep it light? Would Cathe's beginner dvd's be good for this? And as far as cardio I don't know what she likes and unfortunately I have limited space in my workout area whic would kind of prevent me from doing cardio with her. Any suggestions?
I would really like to help her and her brother if I can. He is even heavier and only twelve.

Thanks
Linda
 
Hi Linda,

I had a similar question awhile back about strength training my 14 yr old DD and posted to Cathe. The following link is her response:

http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.php?...ic_id=55995&mesg_id=55995&listing_type=search

We started with the non-weighted program and slowly progressed to weights.

As for cardio, maybe you could start with walking or a walk/run program depending on her fitness level. With teens, I think the main thing is doing something they like and keep it fun until they get hooked on fitness :D

JJ
 
I think Cathe's beginner dvds might be a little too mature for her? I just mean she would probably want to begin with something light and fun - and then graduate to Cathe later. Have you looked at any of the Crunch workouts? I have never done them, but I do know of a woman who bought some for her 15 yr old and she liked them. She might enjoy weights or toning dvds (yoga or pilates). For her brother, is there any way he could get involved with some kind of sports? like martial arts? soccer? basketball? swimming? anything to get him moving a couple days a week? Sometimes it's hard too because I think some heavier kids have low self esteem issues and feel either embarassed by or defeated by exercise. Good luck with them!
 
I think the add ons from Basic Step and Body Fusion might be a good way to start out as far as weights go. The band work makes it fun.

As for cardio, a lot of kids like Tae Bo. My oldest DD (age 16) likes the Tae Bo basic tape.
 
I have a 13 year old daughter.

She hates most videos, finds them "corny". She does like to do some kickbox on the rebounder, but does not last long.

She dislikes free weights, finds them boring.

What she does like is the cardio machines at the gym. She can bring a book to read, or watch the TVs. She also prefers the weight machines to free weights.

She also likes to ride her bike on the trails, or take a walk with our dog and me.

This all was found out through trial and error, finding what her likes and dislikes are. So try different things, and really listen to her feedback. This age tends to be apathetic, so you have to get through that to figure out what she likes and what she will stick to. It has to be more fun than sitting watching TV, or talking to friends on the computer. That is the battle we fight with our kids, the entertainment value.
 
Hi, Linda,

It's so great that your neice is asking for your help! I'm glad she has you!!

I don't know your budget, but I might have a Christmas Gift idea for you...
My teens and their friends all love a video game called Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). It is available for Playstation 2 and XBOX (maybe XBOX 360 too). It is aerobic and fun! You have to purchase big pads that lay on the floor (to dance on), and the game itself. If they already have a console, you're looking at probably around $30 for a game and $60 for GOOD pads. Don't buy used pads and don't buy cheaper ones.

Cool thing about DDR -the kids get addicted to it just like other video games. They usually end up being way better at it than adults and that little boost can be great for a teen.

Other than that...do you have FitTV? They have all kinds of shows that you two could explore together. Once again, it might give her a little boost if you can find something that she can do almost as well as you initially.

Have fun,

bhappy
 
I just wanted to second the DDR (Dance Dance Revoluttion) suggestion. It's my daughter's primary form of cardio. She's 16, not interested in sports and athletics and like some have said before finds videos or aerobics classes corny. She doesn't like machines like TM, elliptical etc and hated the gym when she was younger. It's spendy but well worth it. Of course spendy is a relative term--I don't think the DDR is that much more expensive than DVD's and a good step. It's cheaper than a gym membership or a piece of cardio equipment. We already had the playstation so didn't have to buy the game system. (And I believe DDR is available on most platforms now it's so popular.) Games are around $50 each and a good pad can be found for $75 to $100. The cheaper dance pads are problematic and don't always register so a good pad is the most important item in the whole system. Investing in the pad was also cheaper in the long run coz they wear better. If you do decide to go this route you also want to avoid your niece thinking she's a failure and can't do it when in reality the problem is the crummy pad. One thing I like about DDR though is it seems to universally appeal to a variety of teenage and preteen crowds with varying athletic abilities. Some of my daughter's friends are very athletic and some have two left feet but they all like playing DDR. It seems to be universally popular among boys and girls also so there's a benefit there if your nephew decides to join in. There's different levels of difficulty and modes of playing so it adapts easily to all levels from beginner to advanced users.

Diana
 
YES!! My DD13 LOVES her DDR! I think it's a great way to get your neice to understand that exercise can be fun. I think so many people don't exercise because they equate it with the humiliation of gym class. We all want to be good, but so many PE classes reward the best kids, and make the not-so-good ones feel inferior. If she can do something and enjoy it with no one standing over her telling her she's not doing it right, then I think it'll become something she enjoys.
 
While I don't have a teenager (yet), my suggestion would be bike riding if you live in an area where the weather will cooperate. My husband, 7 year old son, and I go for family bike rides when we can. Your niece and nephew may enjoy that. Good luck! What a nice aunt for helping out your niece!
 
After watching some teens doing DDR at a video arcade last summer, I even looked at buying it for myself. Since I don't have any children and the prerequisite video game boxes it was just too expensive to get everything. Appparently the 'game' part of it is to master certain songs without making too many mistakes. You can play it individually as well as against others. Looks like so much fun! I'm thinking of getting it for my niece this Christmas. She needs to get some exercise and I'm sure she'd love it.
 
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