There is probably no bigger destroyer of athletes than TV (maybe video games would rank #1, but at least video games are somewhat engaging). The one-way nature of TV viewing does nothing to help in a child's physical development (and given most of the programming on TV, probaby nothing to help in a child's mental development either).
However given that the average child spends 2 to 4 hours a day watching TV, it is a huge missed opportunity to leverage that time to help with a child's physical and skills development. But how? Let me share a few ideas over the next few postings.
Idea #1: Push Ups By The Bunch
This by far is the easiest thing to do, and can be quite productive in developing both strength and discipline. Here's the game that we like to play at our house: during a commercial break, drop and give me 20! Or maybe it's not 20 initially, but start with 2 and then progress to 4 and then 6, etc. If on average each TV show has 3 to 4 commercial breaks, over a couple of hours you will get quite a few pushups completed.
My 15 year old plays this game while watching ESPN Sports Center or a game on TV. And it's not unusual that by the end of the night that he's done 150 to 200 pushups. And I've got to tell you, I can see the difference in his body and he can feel the difference when he's out playing his sports.
Here's a simple video that explains the basics of a pushup
Best of luck as parents coaching youth!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment