Finding Fitness Programs for Kids
High Quality Low Cost Exercise Gyms for Children; Getting Kids Fit
Helping children get in shape has become big business. Fitness training for kids is sweeping the country. But before you decide on a program, do the research first.
Wielding a joy stick has replaced playing in the street. A friendly game of tag with some buddies has given way to the steely pursuit of slaying fellow players on Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4. How do you get your kids off the couch and into the gym? Enroll them in fitness training for children.
How to find High Quality Low Cost Exercise Programs for Kids:
- Search for qualified trainers. Anyone can become a personal trainer. All you have to do is enroll in a course, take a test and you’re certified. You want to find instructors who have masters degrees in physical fitness or exercise physiology. And experience working with kids or young adults wouldn’t hurt. Find the program’s web site and search for each trainer’s bio. You’ll learn quickly whether this person is qualified to teach children or not.
- Look for group training facilities that combine kids in the same age group. You don’t want to see a group of kids ranging from 8 to 14. Grade school and middle school kids should be separated. And you don’t want very young children working with weights. Find out exactly what exercises each age group is doing and for how much time.
- Make sure the facility offers a small student/teacher ratio. You might not be able to afford one-on-one personal training for $50 an hour. But a small group setting would be ideal. When you visit a facility, you should see no more than eight kids for every trainer. And insist on trying one session for free. If your child hated the experience for an hour, he’s not likely to want to come back.
- Make sure the program fits your kid. If your child is looking to become a world class athlete, a sports performance facility that really pushes kids may be the answer. But if you want her to shed a few pounds and have fun, a community center program will be more laid back, more entertaining and less expensive.
- Read the fine print on the contract. It would be best not to sign a contract at all. But many facilities require you to commit to a certain amount of time or number of sessions, and they want it in writing. So make sure you read everything, know the penalties if you have to cancel at the last minute and be sure there is a clause to get your money back should your child become injured. Also, see if you can get credit for referring other kids. If your child participates with a friend, he may be more inclined to stick with the program.
The copyright of the article Finding Fitness Programs for Kids in Consumer Education is owned by L. Marie Dubuque. Permission to republish Finding Fitness Programs for Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
