My daughter wants to join the gym

[BBR100]

Need some suggestions/tips on setting her up with a program that'll be as much fun as possible and keep her motivated.

She just turned 12 and carrying a few extra pounds.

I've had her in dance/ballet, soccer, karate and skating but she's not the most coordinated. She wouldn't quit but doesn't want to continue the following year.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[the_alcatraz]

Props bro, that's awesome. Not too sure about what kind of program a 12-yr old girl can do though, but just the fact that she showed interest is great. Don't let her lose that.

 

[PhoenixS]

Do you have classes at your gym? I think she may enjoy that since lots of classes are kind of dance/kickbox/etc. They are really fun and you get a good workout.

 

[trex74]

That's an interesting question. I looked that up on the net and there's lots of info there...
Also, sometimes that is an "awkward" age where the baby fat has not yet come off. I had that issue despite being active in sports too, but once i hit my growth spurt and grew 6 inches it all evened out in the end.

 

[musclemom]

Need some suggestions/tips on setting her up with a program that'll be as much fun as possible and keep her motivated.

She just turned 12 and carrying a few extra pounds.

I've had her in dance/ballet, soccer, karate and skating but she's not the most coordinated. She wouldn't quit but doesn't want to continue the following year.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm curious, any chance your daughter is above average in height for her age? I ask because I grew really fast and I was an utter clutz (still am, to a degree). It's a biological thing.

Anyway, I'd let her do the same things I'd have a woman do, but that's me I think the crap about kids not lifting weights is just that. I can't see any harm in kids lifting weights as long as they're taught proper form. I virtually grew up on a farm, I did very physically demanding things and I would have loved to have been let loose in the weight room when I was a young 'un. If you have her do the same basic programs you're doing (obviously with smaller weight) she'll stick with it to both please you and it'll be a bonding experience.

One of the best whole body exercises is swimming, and it's not as boring as dry land cardio. Jumping rope is very demanding. What about taking up biking as a family, or rock climbing? How does she feel about involvement in team sports?

Worst comes to worst, what about getting her a dog, one that needs a LOT of walking

 

[BBR100]

Do you have classes at your gym? I think she may enjoy that since lots of classes are kind of dance/kickbox/etc. They are really fun and you get a good workout.

There are classes but most have older ladies in them.

I'll do them with her if that will help.

Thanks!

 

[BBR100]

That's an interesting question. I looked that up on the net and there's lots of info there...
Also, sometimes that is an "awkward" age where the baby fat has not yet come off. I had that issue despite being active in sports too, but once i hit my growth spurt and grew 6 inches it all evened out in the end.

She's average height but a little overweight, not much.
She's at that age where I'm careful not too make it a big deal but she's aware of it and has been really good with eating smaller portions and staying away from junk.
Being healthy is #1 but I'm concerned others may poke fun at her because of her weight. I'm careful to present it as a healthy lifestyle.

 

[BBR100]

I'm curious, any chance your daughter is above average in height for her age? I ask because I grew really fast and I was an utter clutz (still am, to a degree). It's a biological thing.

Anyway, I'd let her do the same things I'd have a woman do, but that's me I think the crap about kids not lifting weights is just that. I can't see any harm in kids lifting weights as long as they're taught proper form. I virtually grew up on a farm, I did very physically demanding things and I would have loved to have been let loose in the weight room when I was a young 'un. If you have her do the same basic programs you're doing (obviously with smaller weight) she'll stick with it to both please you and it'll be a bonding experience.

One of the best whole body exercises is swimming, and it's not as boring as dry land cardio. Jumping rope is very demanding. What about taking up biking as a family, or rock climbing? How does she feel about involvement in team sports?

Worst comes to worst, what about getting her a dog, one that needs a LOT of walking

She's game for team sports but "clutzy" and feels she's not great. She's not but I explain to her that's not important. Still, I feel she may be doing it more for me.

Swimming is good. Biking in the winter, not so much.
She's been to the gym with me and fascinated by stairclimbers and elliptical machines.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[trex74]

Now that I think of it, when I was 12-13, there was an organization called Women and Sport. We did all sorts of sports, and it was all girls. Softball, badminton, volleyball, basketball...it was a lot of fun. Because it was all-girls, we didn't really worry about being clutzy in front of each other.
Now, I just looked them up. They are called the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity. Their American counterparts are the Women's Sports Foundation- there is a resource list here:
Parent's Resource List - Women's Sports Foundation

 

[nefertiti]

I'm curious, any chance your daughter is above average in height for her age? I ask because I grew really fast and I was an utter clutz (still am, to a degree). It's a biological thing.

Anyway, I'd let her do the same things I'd have a woman do, but that's me I think the crap about kids not lifting weights is just that. I can't see any harm in kids lifting weights as long as they're taught proper form. I virtually grew up on a farm, I did very physically demanding things and I would have loved to have been let loose in the weight room when I was a young 'un. If you have her do the same basic programs you're doing (obviously with smaller weight) she'll stick with it to both please you and it'll be a bonding experience.

One of the best whole body exercises is swimming, and it's not as boring as dry land cardio. Jumping rope is very demanding. What about taking up biking as a family, or rock climbing? How does she feel about involvement in team sports?

Worst comes to worst, what about getting her a dog, one that needs a LOT of walking

I disagree with letting kids do the same things adults do. While his child is of the age I would START letting things happen, there is a reason in my ballet academy that we did not allow anyone under the age of 12 to go on pointe. Proper form or no, you can do a lot more damage to your joints and bones at a young age than you can when you get older. Often your muscle growth has not caught up to your skeletal growth and this can lead to "proper form" being almost impossible.

At her age the best thing to do for her, if she's not interested in sports, is get her doing classes. It will limit her to mostly body weight resistance, learning her body and her movement capabilities, and will keep her active. But I do feel at her age she NEEDS to be in an at least lightly supervised atmosphere with limited stress on her joints.