How young is "too young" to start training?

This Fall season is already beginning to fly by, I can hardly believe we are halfway through October!  September went by quickly, but was also the national childhood obesity awareness month, did you know that?  I know it's sometimes hard to keep up with all the "national awareness'" that occur each month, but I think this one is important to keep in mind so we can encourage our kids to get moving.

Our children do need our help to be examples of healthy activity, and to get them to want to stay active.  Alarmingly, some studies have even shown that initial hardening of the arteries can begin at the age of 12...yikes!  We need to be on the lookout to help our kiddos learn how to work out!

The question that often comes up when I speak about kids and exercise is "How young is too young to start?"  Well, I came across a new study published through ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) that helps to resolve this question.  They were able to provide general and specific guidelines as to how kids should be exercising, and I found it very helpful.

In their investigation, Dr. Myer and associates found that children who had not participated in sport related activities before the onset of puberty were more likely to have poor posture, poor movement patterns, and less muscular strength than they should at puberty.  They found it helpful for children to be exposed to group sport activities and/or "integrative neuromuscular training" - which is their fancy way of defining an exercise routine created specifically for children, before puberty.

So the earlier a routine of activity is established, the better; but if your kids are older and still have not made a habit of being physically active, don't worry!  They can still be trained to overcome physical limitations due to lack of activity, it will just require a little more dedication.  Dr. Myer and team advised what looks like a pretty typical exercise routine for an adult, but with more repetitions and using body weight as the main form of resistance instead of free weights or machine weights.  It was also highly encouraged to participate in team sport activities.

The bottom line is that kids have every reason to be moving and exercising on a regular basis.  As adults, we should enable them to have the opportunities to engage in activity so they can learn to love it at an early age.  Create a legacy for loving activity!

• Myer, Gregory; Rhodri, Lloyd; Brent, Jensen; Faigenbaum, Avery. How young is too young to start training. Health and Fitness Journal 17(5). ACSM. 2013.