Sport with children – this is how moms and dads stay fit

Sport is me-time, freedom, goodness, wellness. But what about sports with children ? New moms and dads in particular know this: the child is still so small. Can't walk yet, maybe not even crawl. In addition, the nights are often very short and the everyday challenges are often very great - there is hardly any energy left for effective training or even a short yoga session. And when it comes to fitness with older children, it's a problem with the short and long-term motivation of the little ones. If they don’t follow along, “jogging with a child” quickly becomes “stopping every two meters with a child.”

The result: your inner bastard wallows in your situation. Getting it together, getting started, and following through seem like mammoth tasks. And sport becomes a minor matter and eventually forgotten.

But that doesn't have to be the case.

In this story we'll show you a few ways you can do sports with children in a relaxed manner. Which sport is suitable for new moms and dads ? What about exercise for mothers and fathers of older children ? Which ideas for sport with children can be quickly implemented in everyday life? And why is it so important to just get moving for yourself despite being a parent?

We want to answer these questions for you here. From parent to parent.

Sport with small children up to 1.5 years: Is every (new) beginning difficult?

No matter whether Instagram, advertising or “that one friend” says otherwise: it is completely normal, natural and good for moms to do nothing after giving birth. Of course, this also applies to all dads. And even after the first year is over. Others should immediately start working on six-pack abs, buttocks and all that stuff. As long as our child cannot yet walk or can only walk unsteadily, we do it slowly:

Mom and dad sport: the buggy as a buddy

The very best news first: babies and small children should get as much fresh air as possible. So if you put your darling in the stroller or later in the buggy and just go for a walk, you're killing a small army of flies with one stone:

• Your immune system and that of your child will be strengthened.
• Going outside clears your head.
• Your endurance improves the more and further you go.
• Exercise burns calories and ensures healthy circulation.
• Sunlight stimulates vitamin D production in the body (good tip, even for non-parents).
• You get to know the surrounding area better and discover new paths, cafés or sights.
• You have time to make phone calls or go for a walk with friends.
• You can concentrate fully on your child and leave everyday life behind you.

By the way: If your child is around 12 months old, you can easily transport them in a bike trailer - so you can see a lot more and cover more distance.

Sport with small children at home: Nothing is easier than that

Our next slow sport tip for everyone with children under 1.5 years: Do sport at home! Many postnatal exercises for moms or sports sessions for partners, for example, can be done in a relaxed manner in your own four walls. And where is the little dwarf? Meanwhile, babies relax on a lawn or in the baby carrier , small children who can already crawl or even walk remain in sight , perhaps protected by their partner or family members or friends for as long as possible. When it comes to postnatal exercises, midwives and other experts know better than we do. But when it comes to slow sports exercises , we have a few tips for you here:

Stretching is always possible and helps to keep the body flexible. Especially if you have to carry your baby or child a lot , you can do something good for the same stressed muscles and joints. True to the motto: Mom fit, Dad fit, let's move on.

Strength exercises at home can be wonderfully integrated into everyday life. Exercises with your own weight, in particular, require almost no equipment and hardly any space. Top 3 here: push-ups , squats and superman . Important: For mothers having a cesarean section , be sure to ask experts beforehand whether and to what extent abdominal exercises are okay.

The child as a dumbbell No joke: we are now taking the term “sports with children” literally. If you make sure to lift, carry and put down your child correctly (in the sense of ergonomically correct) in everyday life, you are doing a lot for your body. Especially because you are training exactly the muscles and mobility that you actually use every day. But what does “ergonomically correct” mean? Two things in particular:

• Please avoid a hunched back when picking up and putting down your child. It is better to lift from your knees and lie down on your knees.
• If the child is resting on your shoulder or in your arm , after a while you can shift the weight from one side to the other. Especially when you walk back and forth with your child, a one-sided posture quickly puts strain on your neck, back, hips and legs.

If your toddler can stand and walk independently , you can easily include him in your sport. How? Choose a cool song, get into position and then: dance ! Fidget ! Together, all for themselves, as you wish. This is how dad or mom does sports, and at the same time your child learns to move and listen to the beat. After two or three songs the sweat is flowing and the fun is through the roof. And another tip: children's gymnastics is a lot of fun for the little ones - and when mom or dad joins in, their pulse increases very quickly.

You see: Baby steps are often exactly the right thing for parents with babies and toddlers to start exercising again. Do everything at exactly your speed and at a level that you feel comfortable with. This also means that no one should stop you from running marathons, lifting massive weights, or getting into a boxing ring. The only important thing is that you do what you want.

Sports with children? It's easy if everyone is having fun. @iStock.com/simon2579

Sport with children aged 1.5 and over: There's something going on

One thing in advance: Of course, some children are able to do sports a little earlier and others a little later - so please don't take the age information too narrowly .

At the latest when your child can stand and walk safely , you can think about what you can do together. And that's a lot. You'll be surprised: sport with three-year-olds can feel very “real” if you find the right activities together. And when the little ones grow up, a whole new world of sporting possibilities opens up.

Mother-daughter sports and so much more for shared experiences

Of course, this also applies to any other parent-child combination : sport brings people together. While little mice get their money's worth with children's gymnastics or playing tag, moms and dads can also quickly work up a sweat here. And the best thing: If one partner takes care of the child, the other has time off. For single parents, this role can be taken on by aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas and of course friends.

With older children, you can go mountain biking , mountain hiking , discover strength training or learn a martial art together. If you do sports together and your child is developing his or her own mind and character, you can pay attention to these three points:

• Give your child space. Even if you do sports together, your child should be allowed to act as an independent person. Whether it's intensity, rhythm or time required: Even with small children, they have to be able to decide when it's enough or whether they even feel like doing sport. This is of course even more true for older children and young people.

• Find your sport together. Studies show: Your influence as a mom or dad on your child's sport should not be underestimated. So you set the course - it is all the more important that children are involved in the discovery process from a very young age. Your child's age, fears, abilities (and many other factors) play a huge role here.

• What goals do you want to achieve in your sport with children? Is it just for fun? Or would you like to use sport to, for example, compensate for your child's weaknesses, promote strengths or promote their self-confidence in order to make them resilient?

Which sports strengthen your child's self-confidence?

Basically, sports with children should always be based on safety and fun . If your child is overwhelmed or even afraid, everything that can go wrong has gone wrong. Whether endurance training , action sports or fitness with children : if the sport is suitable for children, it almost automatically strengthens their self-confidence. Then it doesn't matter whether your child climbs, rides, swims or does karate. Nevertheless, there are some sports that are particularly famous for promoting body control and self-confidence in your child:

• Martial arts are ideal for teaching young children rules, respect and self-confidence. Depending on the martial art, children can start as early as four years old; judo or BJJ are particularly suitable here.
• Climbing and especially bouldering is a sport that relies on self-confidence, trust in your climbing partner, strength and endurance. Above all, climbing is a sport of difficulty - and therefore ideally scalable for dwarves, teenagers and adults.
• While lengthy endurance sports such as long-distance running etc. can be far too strenuous and monotonous for smaller children, short distances are a lot of fun - even for three-year-old mice. If the child is older, the 400 meter run or 200 meter swim could be interesting - but in general, endurance sports can massively boost your child's self-confidence - also because they learn to get to know their will, their body and their limits.
• Team sports are ideal for teaching your child social and sporting skills. Whether football, volleyball, handball or baseball: Here your child comes together with others, can find their role and at the same time build social resilience.

Sport as me-time for moms and dads

In this case , sport with children means more: sport despite children . Nobody says parents can't take a break from time to time . On the contrary: The old saying “a healthy mind in a healthy body” applies especially to often overtired, sometimes stressed parents of babies, toddlers, teenagers and young adults.

That's why it's important to be selfish when it comes to your sport. Use it as a break, as me time. During this time, your partner, family members or best friends can keep an eye on your child - if it is smaller. With older children, it is important to communicate very clearly: Mom or Dad will be away for a while. Lifting weights, running, swimming, climbing, diving, bathing or relaxing - the main thing is to do exercise and clear your head. Dextrose products from Dextro Energy* provide you with quickly available carbohydrates.

Because we know that sometimes it's not that easy to take time for yourself without feeling guilty, here's a mantra :

• Set boundaries. If you don't pay attention to yourself, you will soon no longer be able to pay attention to others.
• Please help. True to the motto “It takes a village to raise a child”.
• Do your thing. All advice (including this one) is worthless if it doesn't suit you.
• Don't underestimate your child. Let them join in or ask them to give you space. You'll be amazed at what's possible.
• There are no perfect parents. And that's completely okay.

Of course, this story cannot answer all your questions or give you all the tips on the topic. But we hope that it can inspire you to rediscover or tackle sport with children. We hope you and your dwarf have fun!

* contains carbohydrates

A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.

SOURCES

Ciocan, Dana & Milon, Alexandra & Mares, Gabriel. (2017). Study Regarding the Motives of Children Participation in Sport Activities. 159-168. 10.18662/lumproc.rsacvp2017.15.

Bonavolontà V, Cataldi S, Latino F, Carvutto R, De Candia M, Mastrorilli G, Messina G, Patti A, Fischetti F. The Role of Parental Involvement in Youth Sport Experience: Perceived and Desired Behavior by Male Soccer Players. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug 17;18(16):8698. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18168698. PMID: 34444446; PMCID: PMC8391271.

IMAGE CREDITS

Header image: @iStock.com/Halfpoint