exercise advice pl

[ckf]

for my 11yr old daughter who is very heavy around the hip, tummy and thigh area.
She is active at school in any activity she can get involved in and until recently also did trampolining and gymnastics.

we have sit up bar at homem, a twist and tone disc and a type of step machine, we also have a 13ft trampoline in the garden.

We are not sure what exercises she should do to concentrate on her problem areas - any advice you could give woudl be appreciated.

many thanks
ckf

[paul_r]

I'm not qualified to give a answer on the specifics there but I hope we can get an answer from someone who is.

I would say that at 11 years old there is a lot of development time left and I know my own children changed shape and size significantly through their teenage years. I'd have thought the key thing is for her to stay as active as possible and for that to happen she has to find activities that she enjoys. The more fun she has the more she'll do, and the more benefit she'll see from it.

I'm not so sure a sit-up bar is necessary at that age. The trampoline will be fun ok. How about swimming and/or dance of any sort?

[GHC]

An 11year old girl is still very much in the development stages, they are changing and growing into their body shape. I would not worry too much about your daughters size at the minute and I feel that by focusing on exercise and making her conscious of her body size is not the best thing for an 11 year old.
Heavy exercise is not recommeneded for children under the age of 16 as their bodies are still developing and growing.

If your daughter is worried about it she could try something like a team sport were she will also get the social aspect as well and it will seem more fun for her.

I think the main thing is that she doesnt feel like she has to worry about her shape and size, as in a years time she could look like a completely different person as her body changes.