Kids Workout Techniques to Lose Belly Fat

Childhood obesity is a serious condition that plagues an ever-increasing number of kids around the world. While adults have a variety of exercise options at their disposal, such as free-weights and cardiovascular routines, children often do not have the focus or the patience to devote themselves in such a single-minded fashion. Therefore, parents who wish to help their children lose unwanted pounds must be creative in their approaches. Read on and discover some workout techniques to help children lose stomach fat.

The problem

• The irony of our childhood obesity problem is that children not only are eating less healthy foods but also are bombarded with additional alternative stay-at-home activities like watching television or playing video games. When coupled with the fact that parents working extra hours often find these electronic distractions suitable as cheap babysitters, it is no wonder that children are having more weight problems than ever before.

  There is good news and bad news about childhood fat on one's stomach. The bad news is that it is impossible to "spot-reduce" fat strictly off of the abdominal region. The body burns fat from all over at substantially similar rates. This means that losing belly fat means children have to lose fat from their entire bodies. The good news is that a child's body is remarkably efficient at losing fat. All children really need to do to lose their stomach fat is drastically increase activity level. What follows are some ways to get your child to exercise.

Make exercise a game

• While children usually do not perform well on regimented workouts, they perform exceptionally well where the "workout" is disguised as a game or fun family activity. Dog-walking, kite-flying, family bicycle rides and childhood games and sports like tag, baseball, softball and soccer will help increase children's overall activity levels and help them burn fat. Enrolling children in a sports league is a good way to have them meet friends and become more athletic. When coupled with family outings and encouragement to find outdoor activities instead of sitting inside playing video games, this can easily help children lose the fat on their stomachs.

  If organized sports are not your child's cup of tea, try setting time aside a few days a week to take him or her to a neighborhood playground. Just playing around on a swing set or jungle gym can provide loads of athletic benefits. Many times, children do not need to be openly prodded into exercising; they just have to have the opportunity presented in an attractive fashion.

Make exercise a responsibility

• It also helps to make children responsible for chores around the house to increase their daily caloric expenditure. Assigning your children to mow the lawn, help with yard work, garden and other chores can keep them lean and fit. Additionally, assigning responsibility to the child will build character and confidence while teaching responsibility.

  While we might think that children with weight-control issues need some type of overblown exercise plan like an adult, all they really need is to get active in a variety of ways. The habits one teaches their children about diet and exercise during their formative years can last for a lifetime, so make sure they are healthy ones.