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Are you giving your child all you can? Of course,
you give them food, clothing, shelter, and an education, but
are you giving them the opportunity to develop lifelong physical
fitness? You can determine the areas where your child may need
to develop his or her physical fitness by evaluating things
such as their flexibility. According to the President's Physical
Fitness Council, a physically fit child should be able to reach
past their toes approximately half an inch.
Proper flexibility
is important in the prevention of injury from physical activity.
Children are capable of placing themselves in all sorts of situations
that demand good physical conditioning, especially flexibility.
Running while playing soccer, baseball, high kicks in the martial
arts, running the court in basketball, leaps in dance, and back
walkovers in gymnastics all demand a wide range of motion from
the muscles involved.
When an activity is
so forceful that it extends a body part beyond its normal range
of motion, injury occurs. Usually, the injury is something minor
like a muscle pull or strain, but it could also become a tear
or a separation from the bone on which it is anchored. To prevent
such an injury all children should learn the basics of a flexibility
program appropriate to their sport.
To evaluate your child's
flexibility in the lower back, hips, and the back of the upper
legs, you can give your child this easy test. Take one twelve-inch
ruler and mark off one inch increments down the middle of a
piece of paper. At the six-inch mark draw the number zero. Then,
in one direction, mark the positive numbers +1, +2, + 3, etc.
In the other direction, write the numbers -1, -2, -3, etc.
Have your child sit
on the floor with their legs extended. The back of the knees
should remain flat on the floor with the toes pointing toward
the ceiling. Place the scale marked with 1-inch units at the
child's feet so the zero aligns with the child's heel. Every
inch mark towards the body is marked -I, -2, -3 and so on; each
inch beyond the heels starting with +I, +2, +3 and so forth.
Now, have your child
extend her (or his) arms out to her toes. Stop if it hurts!
Only reach as far as possible without excess pain! If your child
can just barely reach her toes she would have a zero score,
which would be an average score. If she cannot touch her toes,
she would receive a negative score of -1 or less. A child who
shows good flexibility would have a positive score of +1 or
greater.
Don't panic if your
child can't touch her toes, but please don't ignore it. There
are many solutions to this problem. Involving your child in
physical activities at a young age that focus on all aspects
of fitness, especially proper conditioning and flexibility has
benefits that will last into her adult life. Great activities
that develop these components, especially flexibility are; gymnastics,
martial arts, and dance.
For more information
on ways to improve your child's flexibility and overall physical
fitness , contact: Brown's Gymnastics (407) 869-8744
Corporate Office
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