Monday I started my service learning project at the YMCA in Stevens Point. I got to help kids ages 3-12 use weight lifting equipment. I thought this was dangerous, as I had always been taught that lifting before puberty was detrimental to growth and could make people permanently short. Marissa, the person in charge of the Family Prime Time fitness section, showed me that the kids cannot lift more than their own body weight. The machines are designed to convert the weight of the kids to a certain level of resistance so the kids cannot strain of otherwise injure themselves. Some of the kids are pretty new to the machines, so Marissa had to take them through every machine and show them how to do the exercise correctly. This actually took quite a long time. I had to try it, as it looked like it would be really easy. It wasn't. It is actually a good workout. I also learned that the YMCA has a large family event planned for Earth Day and I will be able to work with them during the entire activity, so I am pretty excited. I really enjoyed my couple of hours in the Y and am looking forward to doing it again next week.
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4 comments:
Those machines sound fantastic and I think it is wonderful that kids are learning a little more now adays about fitness than the stuff we did in gym class. The Y seems like a good place for this type of interactions and you seem to be learning a good deal already.
really? three years old?! shouldnt they be able to read and write before they lift things? Just curious, how old is the youngest one?
I think it is great that children are learning about things they can do to work out at a young age, even though three years does seem a bit young. By being active at a young age and getting the children interested in it, they are more likely to stay active as they get older and throughout their lives.
I would have never guessed that younger kids would even have an intrest in lifting let along be good for them. Seems like even just lifting your body weight could be dangerous for kids that are not completel developed but i guess as long as someone is always helping them to have the right form it could keep them in shape.
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