How Fit Is Your Family? Your Health Journal | Your ... - Len Saunders

From Everyday Health?..

Test your whole-family fitness with these simple tests for strength, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, and more.

It?s never too early to give your children a love of exercise. Unfortunately, with the proliferation of video games, computers, and other electronic media, you may need to do more coaxing and cajoling than ever before. You may also be concerned with their level of fitness.

Luckily, there are some simple fitness tests you can use to measure your kids? health ? and even make it fun for them. ?These fitness assessments help children get in tune with their bodies and experience physical challenges,? says Noelle Rox, an ACE-certified personal trainer and Pilates instructor. ?It is important to keep the tests simple to focus on the positive rather than the negative and help kids develop a positive attitude toward physical activity.?

For bonus fitness points, try these tests alongside your kid for a fun, whole-family fitness assessment. Most tests are appropriate for kids ages 5 and up.

Walk the Plank for Balance

This is an easy and fun test for kids to try. ?A flat balance beam on the floor or simply walking a line drawn or taped on the floor works great,? Rox says.

How to do it: Have your child place one foot in front of the other and try to stay in as straight a line as possible as he makes his way across the ?plank.?

Scoring: If he makes it across without any missteps, it?s a sign of good balance. More mistakes means more practice is needed to focus on maintaining balance.

Super Moves for Strength

Rox gave this test its name so that kids will feel empowered to see all the cool things their bodies can do ? just like a super hero.

How to do it: Super Moves consists of three phases: First, holding your child?s feet, see how many situps she can do in one minute. Then have her do as many modified pushups (with knees on the floor) as she can in 1 minute. Finally, have her jump next to a wall and reach as high as she can three times in a row.

Scoring: The more situps and pushups a child can do and the higher she can jump, the stronger she is. Same goes for adults.

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Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=6534

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