Fitness Plan For An Overweight Child Antonio Juarez Jr. Polk State College Page Break Abstract  The report will be centered on helping out a child lose weight and being fit. The problem is that in today’s world obesity is a problem for many with children. This issue can be addressed through balancing a diet, motivating the child, and an exercising regularly. This paper will include getting a child started a structured diet plan and exercise regimen. Keywords: obesity, child, workout routines, healthy foods Page Break   Fitness Plan for an Overweight Child I have been affected by this topic because, as a child, I was obese. At the age of six, I weighed 97 lbs. Consequently during my childhood, I had trouble with my weight. There came a point when I was close to developing diabetes and other weight-related problems. When my parents became aware of the seriousness of my condition, they decided to take action. Childhood obesity is becoming more of a problem every year, and it is going to get worse if we do not do anything to prevent it. Therefore, I am proposing to write an exercise plan for an overweight child that includes: healthy eating, an exercise regimen, and the motivation to get started.  Children may struggle because of the food they consume, lack of exercise, and lack of motivation to change their appearance. Sometimes, as a parent, it may be difficult to say that a child is overweight because that a child may not look particularly heavy. Nowadays, more children are becoming heavier at a young age.  Research shows that children who achieve a healthy weight tend to be fitter, healthier, better able to learn, and more self-confident. Also, research reveals that children are less likely to have low self-esteem or to be bullied if their weight is appropriate, and subsequently, these children will be less likely to have health problems in later life (“Any Kid to Exercise”). As a parent, there are many ways to help a child acquire a healthier weight. Being a good role model is an important factor in a child’s life. A child looks up to someone who inspires and motivates the child; children learn by example. One of the most powerful ways of getting a child to be more active and eating well is by a parent practicing similar behavior. Most children are stuck like glue to their mobile devices, television, and video games; when this fixation becomes a habit, children gain weight. Parents should set ground rules for the children on how much time they can watch television and play on their electronic devices. Setting the example by going for a jog or riding a bike rather than being inside inactive benefits a child.  Experts say that children should get an hour of exercise every day (Any Kid to Exercise). However, obesity in children often is the result of sedentary lifestyle. In such cases, asking children to elevate their heart rates to a heightened aerobic exercise rate for 30 minutes or longer may be dangerous (Weight Loss Strategies for Overweight Kids). Begin small and start with an exercise pace that resembles a walk, rather than a jog. Warm up slowly for a few minutes, let children take breaks as needed and make sure they hydrate with water. The goal is to get the child moving and sticking to a goal.  As Kathleen Bethin, MD, PhD, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Buffalo, states, ” When kids commit to even small amounts of exercise, they will likely feel better about themselves and reflect back and say, “I did it”. (Weight Loss Strategies for Overweight Kids)” Exercise will inspire children to do more and more time because of the success they associate with exercising.  Therefore with proper motivation and presentation of the various benefits achieved from working out, children should feel better. It is important to keep in mind that a workout plan is necessary for a child’s success. What are the best workouts for a child? A great workout program should dictate a child’s goal and what the child desires to gain from training. It is important that the workout program reflect the child’s goals (Bodybuildingcom).  A child new to working-out should be introduced to basic bodyweight movements; this will allow the child to start developing an appropriate physical shape and to help build muscle. It is important that the child starts really slowly, especially at a young age. A child takes time to adapt from its training, and working out twice a week should be a good way to start until endurance is developed (Bodybuildingcom). BEGINNER ROUTINE:  Frequency: twice a week Time per session: 30-45 minutes Sets: 2 per exercise  Reps: 10-15 per exercise NOTE: Repetitions refer to the numbers of times each exercise is performed, whereas a set is total number of repetitions. TABLE 1. workouts Sets 2x Chin-ups 10-15 reps Sit-ups 10-15 reps Calf-raises 10-15 reps Steps-ups 10-15 reps Leg-raises 10-15 reps Push-ups 10-15 reps Source: Bodybuildingcom. “What Is The Best Workout For Children?” Bodybuilding.com Tip: It is recommended to perform this routine twice a week. For example, start working out on Monday, then rest for two days so the muscle can recover. Begin working out again.  In addition, nutrition is essential in maintaining health and vitality.  To eat well and maintain a healthy weight, a child should be given the guidance to know what foods are good to eat. Like parents, the child should eat whole grains, lean proteins (fish and chicken), fruits, vegetables, healthy fats (nuts, olive oils), and milk. Take the child grocery shopping so he or she can become familiar with healthy foods. This creates the right mindset picking the right foods. Since, kids enjoy grab-and-go, fill the refrigerator with items such as carrot sticks, sliced cucumbers, apples, grapes, pears, nonfat yogurt, low-fat string cheese and hummus (Cespedes)  Every day a child should start off right with a healthy breakfast; for example, some scrambled eggs with milk and fresh fruit. A healthy child’s lunch could contain a pasta salad made with whole-wheat penne pasta, sliced grilled chicken breast, carrots, baked broccoli, and diced mozzarella cheese, served with berries and nonfat yogurt. For dinner, maybe the child feels like having a “taco Tuesday night” so rather than using ground beef, replace it with ground turkey, which is leaner, and serve the meal with brown rice and beans and a healthy romaine lettuce salad. In addition, plain popcorn, whole-wheat peanut butter sandwiches, fresh fruits, raisins, nonfat yogurts, celery with peanut butter or hummus, and a small handful of nuts all make healthy snack options for a child.  Sometimes the family and child go out to eat; try to avoid fast foods restaurants. If there is no other option, steer the child towards healthier options such as a grilled chicken sandwich with a salad or fruit and low-fat milk or a slice of thin crusty margarita or veggie pizza. Juice, even if the juice says 100 percent fruit juice, is high in sugar, and offers low nutritional value. One way to reduce the calories is to dilute the juice by adding water. Therefore, limit a child from drinking soda because that helps to promote a healthy weight. Instead on drinking soda replace it with sparkling water.  After a month or so of doing the workout routine, it is time to chnges the exercises routine by adding a bit of advanced workout segments like exercising the legs, chest, back, arms, and abdominals. This will require some additions weights, but they do not have to be heavy weights. ADVANCE ROUTINE OPTION ONE: Frequency: three times a week  Time per session: 30-45 minutes Sets: 3-4 per exercise  Reps: 12-15 reps MONDAY: TABLE 3. Workouts Sets Reps Push-ups 4  15 Chin-ups 4  10-12 Bicep curls 4 10-15 One-arm dumbbell rows 3 10-12 Jumping jacks 3 20  Source: Bodybuildingcom. “What Is The Best Workout For Children?” Bodybuilding.com Wednesday: Table 5. Workouts Sets Reps Squats  4  15 Lunges 4  10-12 Calf raises with dumbbells 4 10-15 Dumbbells deadlifts 3 10-12 Wall squats   3 Hold for thirty seconds in a squats position Source: Bodybuildingcom. “What Is The Best Workout For Children?” Bodybuilding.com Friday: Table 7. Workouts Sets Reps Twisting crunches 4 15 Over – head press 3 12-15 Dumbbells curls 3 15 Pull-ups 3 10-12 Push ups 3 15 Leg raises 3 15 Front dumbbells raise 3 12 Source: Bodybuildingcom. “What Is The Best Workout For Children?” Bodybuilding.com In addition, Cardiovascular is important for training because it helps the heart and cut down. Cardiovascular train is recommend to take place three times per week for thirty minutes a session. It is a good idea to do cardio when the child is not working out with weights. Some cardio workouts are fifty yards sprints, followed by resting for thirty seconds and then repeat the routine two times, other cardiac workouts include going for a moderate jog for one-mile once performance.  All exercise should include hydration. If a child is covered down with sweat, he or she should drink Powerade or Gatorade because these drinks contain electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, which need to be replaced. From these drinks help to will retain fluid and maintain blood volume, muscle blood flow, and sweat rate. Also, stretch before and after cardio performance; this will allow to prevent injuries (Bodybuildingcom). ?     If a child decides to end the exercise routine early because he or she feels the burn of the exercise; motivate the child and tell the child to keep pushing because the pain is temporary. Assure then they will see the results.  If a parent encourages these routines, child will be motivated and his or her lifestyle will change. On the child rest days, a parent should say, “I am proud of you.” That will make the child feel motivation and reinforce a healthier lifestyle. Parents working-out with their children will build excitement and boost motivation. It is important to mark down calendar every time both the child and the parent does a workout and track everyone’s progress. By tracking down the progress and seeing the physical changes, the child will be motivated on working out (Allen, Brant Secunda and Mark.). As the parents should also reward the child for the achievements, he or she has done; take the child out to museum, the beach, or movie theater. The child will feel special when the parents shows how proud they are of the child progress. Reward will motivate children reinforce positive images themselves and while want keep pushing themselves to a healthier lifestyle. Certainly, in today’s world obesity is a problem for any children. However, with this report, I certainly can change some children’s lifestyle and parents’ point of view by addressing a balanced diet, motivating the child, and an exercising regularly. With the effort from both child and parent, it is possible to change the role of an obese child to a healthy child. A healthy child is a healthy lifestyle.                 References  Allen, Brant Secunda and Mark. “14 Ways to Get Kids Exercising — and Off the Couch.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com Any Kid to Exercise.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/kids-exercise-tips#2. Bodybuildingcom. “What Is The Best Workout For Children?” Bodybuilding.com, 29 Aug. 2017. Cespedes, Andrea. “Easy Ways to Lose Weight Fast for Kids.” LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group, 18 July 2017, “Weight Loss Strategies for Overweight Kids.” WebMD, WebMD,