Pilates Benefits for Children and Teens

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Beyond just the “average” exerciser, Pilates has been shown to provide benefits for many different populations. One of those populations is children.

Childhood Obesity

As current trends show, childhood obesity is nearing epidemic proportions in this country. Children are lacking physical fitness in their daily lives, in addition to many also having poor dietary habits.

The lack of physical fitness can be attributed to many causes, (lack of physical education in schools, more sedentary, technology-driven lifestyles, increase in television watching and video gameplay, lack of open spaces to be physically active) but as fitness professionals, we have the ability to help provide physical fitness and education.

As more and more attention is placed on childhood obesity and physical fitness for youth and adolescents, more opportunities will be created to work with this population.

A Pilates Mat class is a fairly inexpensive (really, the only cost is the mat) activity that could be implemented into a regular school physical education program or after-school program.

Pilates Benefits for Children and Teens

In addition to being a great physical activity, Pilates has been found to provide benefits for children.

A study studying the positive effects of Pilates on 10-12-year-old girls. Specifically, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, waist circumference, weight, and overall enjoyment were measured during this study.

Over the course of four weeks, the participants were able to participate in Pilates Mat class up to five days per week for one hour each day. At the end of the study, it was found that the girls did have a reduction in BMI percentile and waist circumference. It was also reported that the girls enjoyed their experience participating in Pilates, and as one participant was quoted, “had fun”.

It is important for children to choose and participate in activities they find enjoyable and not make the focus of the activity on weight loss or improving body aesthetics. They should focus on how their body feels and the environment in which the class is taught should be encouraging and focus on improving self-esteem and body image.

With the focus of Pilates being on core strength and having a strong mind-body component, regular participation could fulfill these characteristics and improve not just the waistlines of children but their self-esteem and body image.

Something to Keep in Mind…

As for special considerations with teaching children, it is important to keep the focus of the class fun in nature as discussed above.

Also, since children are still growing the modification to be aware of during a Pilates session is avoiding stress on the spine. This is a precaution that carries over for children during most physical activities (sports, weight training, etc) so avoid any exercises that put undue stress or pressure directly to the spine, specifically the cervical spine. Other than these few precautions, children can be both taught and instructed in the same way as are healthy adults or “average” exercisers.

Getting Started

Check out what it takes to start a career in personal fitness training. This is your most affordable and fastest way to become a highly qualified personal trainer.

Learn how to make youth nutrition games, fun food choices for kids, and how to overcome objections to certain food likes and dislikes with our Kid’s Nutrition Specialist course.

The Youth Performance Coach Certification is designed for new and advanced coaches and trainers who want to specialize in the areas of youth athletics, youth mentorship and leadership for the next generation.

If you are new to youth coaching, training and mentoring, this is a great launching point for your career. You will gain valuable insight that will give you the skills needed to make a positive change in the lives of youth.

Learn how to become a Sport Yoga Instructor. This program is a comprehensive online yoga teacher training program for fitness professionals who want to integrate yoga movements into their one-on-one training-group fitness or group exercise programs.

Is your recertification coming up? Learn more about earning your CEU credits. You can find the full list of CEU courses here.

If you are ready to start your online personal training or coaching business, don’t forget to learn more about our online coaching course. You will also really enjoy this very comprehensive training course called Online Expert Empire.

There is always something exciting about earning a new training or coaching certification and applying that new knowledge of how you train your clients. This also helps you hit the reset button.

NESTA and Spencer Institute coaching programs are open to anyone with a desire to learn and help others. There are no prerequisites.

That’s it for now.

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