More than one in five Americans belong to a gym or health club, but only a fraction of those clients regularly work out or attend fitness classes. While membership peaks in January, it’s often difficult for trainers and instructors to retain their client…
More and more people are seeking the health benefits of heading outdoors. In 2017, hiking outranked fishing as the most popular type of camping recreation for the first time since the first iteration of the North American Camping Report. From the fresh air and stunning views, it can provide to the great form of cardio you can receive, hiking is suitable for many fitness goals and body types. Deemed a mind and body workout, hiking is an exercise that holds physical as well as mental benefits and can force you to get out of your everyday routine to experience the great big world waiting outside for you.
Stretching is important for any age especially children since their muscles and bones have not finished growing yet. Though injuries to children are more easily repaired than for adults, bone and ligament injuries never repaired as fully as healthy new muscle. Stretching is generally overlooked in children’s training programs yet children need to stretch for the same reasons as adults.
Hence the following animal poses designed to teach flexibility, strength, balance, concentration, and the importance of stretching, presented as a play, achieve the desired results.
This is the last of our series. We will discuss learning disabilities, autism, and behavior differences.
Learning Disability
A learning disability is a disorder in which spoken or written language, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, or mathematical calculations is a struggle. That learner is typically one or more grade levels below the average child, and for that individual, learning is quite difficult. Milestones in motor skills and memorization are inhibited. If a teacher or trainer can provide activities using the learner’s strengths, increased visual and verbal directions, and hands-on experiences, the learner can experience success. Many people misunderstand students with learning disabilities and mistakenly characterize them as lazy, weird, and socially impaired. These persons learn differently, and the attuned teacher or trainer must realize that learners should work in their own ways.
Last month we talked about motor skill differences with children. This month we will discuss varies mental disabilities.
Mental Disabilities
People with mental impairments develop at a slower rate emotionally, developmentally, and physically. Genetic conditions, problems with pregnancy, and early health problems may cause mental retardation. Mental retardation is very common, affecting 3 out of every 100 people. There are four basic levels of retardation. With all mental disabilities, the structure is key. Advice for working with those students with mental retardation includes breaking down tasks into simpler steps, using concise simple directions, providing opportunities for repetition, repeating tasks and skills, and striving for appropriate age-level behavior. A good teacher or trainer will have more than one way to accomplish a goal if the first way they teach the student does not work.
This is the third in the series on youth disabilities. This month we will focus on motor skill disabilities.
Motor Skills
Children with motor skills disabilities often have another disability. They move slowly and have a hard time controlling their muscles. Some children suffer from lack of ability with large motor movements such as running, jumping, kicking and throwing, and catching, and others with small motor movements such as using their hands and fingers. Teachers and trainers must work together with an adaptive physical educator to find simplified ways to teach fitness skills. It is helpful to teach academic and physical skills by breaking the tasks down into small parts. Fine motor skills that should be integrated into academic and fitness activities include kneading with dough, working with modeling clay, using whole punchers, cutting with scissors, and writing in sand or shaving cream. Painting with a bucket of water on a chalkboard or driveway and writing words on a chalkboard or sidewalk are good activities to include in fine motor coordination. An occupational and physical therapist is helpful in the gym, classroom, and home.
Last month we talked about working with children with physical disabilities.
We will continue the discussion of physical impairments with visual, hearing and speech and language impairments.
Visual Impairments
A visual impairment is more than someone who wears eyes glasses. Their visual acuity is 20/70 or less, and they will struggle with vision, even when using a corrective prescription. A trainer or teacher may assist the student by using verbal directions and by asking the student for how the student learns best. Because of their limited vision, the student often has poor motor skills and displays easy fatigue. Ask them how they would feel comfortable being guided. Give students mental pictures and descriptive words. Simplifying the game or skill is also effective. Also, give a mental picture of the environment and have a student helper that can stay with the participant as they participate in the activity. If the child is partially sighted use reflective tape for visual guidance.
As the weather gets warmer children are ready for a change as you train them. Try the option of doing field days and relays with your kids. They are a great finale to your fitness training sessions.
Relays and field day activities reinforce teaching direction, timing, agility, and coordination. They also teach the importance of cooperation, conforming to following rules, and winning and losing games graciously. Emphasis should be on improving skill; not to prove who the best athlete in games is. Group instructors can also individually time students and see their improvement in a skill by performing the relays at the beginning and ending of a training program. It is also a great way to test kids without having to buy special equipment. Relays can be easily done with cones, beanbags, ropes, balls and other ordinary gym equipment. Some relays do not need any equipment at all. Most relay and field days can be played inside or outside.
Easter has been known for its many traditions. The first and most important tradition is celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Eggs were the prized gift for servants and children and seen as a symbol of fertility. They are dyed decorated, decorated with designs painted to symbolize new life and celebrate various church traditions. The Easter Bunny also shows fertility and originated in Germany and later the tradition came to Pennsylvania. Easter Cards originated in England the symbol of most of them was a bunny. Today cards are the third most important holiday they are given behind Valentine’s Day, Mothers Day and Christmas. And lastly, parades were given to show the new life of Christ and to celebrate the new clothes that are often given on Easter.
In learning, sometimes you just gotta move. These are games I have used in my classroom to teach academics and get my students moving. If you get the students to move, they will not only learn but also develop their visual, verbal, and vocal skills.
Materials: Circles with each letter of the alphabet and numbers 1–10, balls with various letters and numbers on them, and feet with letters and numbers on them.
Fitness Professional Online (FPO) is the online hub for fitness professionals, personal trainers, group fitness instructors, and others working in the fitness industry.
We provide information on continuing education, how to be a trainer, training a trainer, and getting a personal training certification.
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