Fitness Motivation Kids & Teens

There is nothing as warming to my soul as to see the eagerness and smiles as a child approaches my door to train. They may be driven to my studio by their parents, but the drive to train comes from within. Children and teens need to be relatively successful in their endeavors to fan the fires of enthusiasm. If any individual continually feels inadequate in meeting a goal, they will eventually abandon their attempts to succeed at that goal. The key to manifesting and maintaining self-efficacy is creating small, attainable objectives. I tell kids my conceptualization of winning in fitness is similar to winning a football game. The ultimate goal is scoring a touchdown; however, we as a team will concentrate on attaining a series of successful first downs. We know the need to move the ball 100 yards, but we will focus on moving the line of scrimmage at least 10 yards at a time every four plays. If the ball is received at the twenty-yard line at the kick-off, the accumulation of seven first downs put the team at the ten, with the availability of four plays to score and the option of an easy three-point field goal. Small successes create and build more considerable achievements. Telling a child, “You got this,” is meaningless unless that child has been successful in similar situations. I had a dear friend, Neal, with whom we frequented numerous Yankee games in the seventies. Neal would always be yelling just a single! Reggie Jackson always enamored me with his big fence-clearing home runs. When I asked Neal why he was settling for just a single, his response was three singles put together to score one run. Are not singles easier to hit than home runs? Small successes create and build more considerable achievements. Telling a child, “You got this,” is meaningless unless that child has been successful in similar situations. A child or teen should never feel after a session that he or she “didn’t get that.” I tell kids from the get-go that when we attempt new exercises or skills, we will try something a couple of times; if we don’t get it, we will move on and try another day. Failure can only be a tool in learning if it promotes strong will, perseverance, and the understanding that success lies on the cusp of failure. If failure is seen as personal inadequacy as opposed to being an integral part of the winning process, self-determination, autonomy, and belongingness will wither on the vine. Success is a trait that is nurtured. If success is unnutured, it manifests itself in failure, and failure begets further failures. My kids succeed every time they train with me. These successes will be internalized and utilized in school, business, and hopefully life edited 12/15 4:06pm