How to Use Fitness to Help Kids Reach Their Goals
Mekhi Stribling
| 3 min read
Setting goals for your child starts as early as infancy. Hitting milestones such as taking their first steps or saying their first words inspire pride in parents.
While those achievements come pretty naturally for most children, it’s important to teach your child self-discipline early on in order for them to achieve their goals.
One effective way to do this is to go to the gym or work out as a family. Working out together can be beneficial in many ways for you and your child. The most important benefit is the opportunity to get healthier. Along with that is the chance to learn other important lessons such as:
- Willpower
- Perseverance
- Discipline
- Patience
It can sometimes be difficult to motivate your child to work out at the gym with you. Here are some tips to get everyone working out together and enjoying it:
- Lead by example.
One way to ensure your child achieves their goals is by setting an example for them. Consider setting a goal for yourself and then work to achieve it. Verbalize your fitness goal to your child and have them hold you accountable. This not only benefits you, but your child as well because you’re leading by example. They will see how hard you are working to achieve your goals and that can help them set their own goals.
2. Reward hard work.
Consider incentivizing your child to achieve their goal. Plan a trip or let them decide on a meaningful reward for their hard work. This allows them to make the connection between hard work and accomplishment, which will serve them well throughout their life.
3. Set small goals first.
When setting goals, it’s key to make sure they are attainable. That’s why starting your goals off small will lead to a faster path to success. Both you and your child should set small goals in order to both achieve success. If you set your goals for something that’s far out of reach, there’s always the possibility of being disappointed if you don’t achieve it. Aiming to lose two to five pounds in two weeks is more realistic than trying to lose 10-15 pounds in that same amount of time.
You and your children can apply these lessons to life just as well as the gym. Being healthy is the main goal but becoming a better person is just as important. Set a positive example for your kids and they will likely do the same for theirs later on.
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Photo Credit: Victoria Harjadi
