tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post3243361315304580737..comments2024-03-15T04:01:53.036-04:00Comments on Cranky Fitness: EIlipticals and Treadmills... For Kids?Crabby McSlackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12108791388350253344noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-6729811033917580822008-09-12T09:14:00.000-04:002008-09-12T09:14:00.000-04:00I don't think I would ever do that to my kids. I r...I don't think I would ever do that to my kids. I rather them enjoy exercising through sports. The treadmill teaches them to get it in the boring way :(Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15829491907261980920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-74575059939483590502008-09-11T12:55:00.000-04:002008-09-11T12:55:00.000-04:00If they weren't so expensive, I'd already own one....If they weren't so expensive, I'd already own one. My 2 year old is always trying to climb on the elliptical or stationary bike while I'm exercising (as her 9 year old brother did before her). I might get a more uninterrupted workout -- now I always have stop and taste the "soup" she has made in her play kitchen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-23985870289009166692008-09-11T12:54:00.000-04:002008-09-11T12:54:00.000-04:00If they weren't so expensive, I'd already own one....If they weren't so expensive, I'd already own one. My 2 year old is always trying to climb on the ellipcitcal or stationary bike while I'm exercising (as her 9 year old brother did before her). I might get a more uninterrupted workout -- now I always have stop and taste the "soup" she has made in her play kitchen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-14267161001991958142008-09-11T09:42:00.000-04:002008-09-11T09:42:00.000-04:00Ahh on my street, there are still many, many times...Ahh on my street, there are still many, many times per day when one of us yells "Car!" Yes our skinny kidlets are still into computer games and MSN, but they also play outside.. a lot. Bikes, balls and hockey sticks are strewn all over any given lawn. Child's play is not dead yet.. at least not everywhere.Hilaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-81756936582753148552008-09-11T00:03:00.000-04:002008-09-11T00:03:00.000-04:00"Exercise is not supposed to miserable until you'r..."Exercise is not supposed to miserable until you're an adult, damn it!"<BR/><BR/>TOTALLY.<BR/><BR/>I have to say though, my boys would probably love that little treadmill just like Jenn said, little kids always want to have little versions of grownup things. We've got toddler lawnmowers, a little vacuum, I even considered getting my boys a little set of 1 lb weights. Not because they need to LIFT them. Just cause they see me do it and they want to join in. <BR/><BR/>(Although treadmills to them are not even "exercise" machines yet. They're more like fun-catapult conveyer-belt-type devices...made for dumping stuffed animals and baby brothers on to.)<BR/><BR/>So I guess what I'm saying is, I'll kick my kids outside way before I'd ever even think of actually USING one of the tot-mills for exercise, but if they saw a picture of one I know they'd want one to play with.katieohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08339475353059389950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-54962841286827850452008-09-10T23:24:00.000-04:002008-09-10T23:24:00.000-04:00Crabby, you just wrote my favorite piece of the mo...Crabby, you just wrote my favorite piece of the month so far. <BR/><BR/>I agree one hundred percent, and had the same reaction. <BR/><BR/>Childhood obesity is very simple: we feed our kids too many calories particularly from processed sources, because we've been convinced that it's what everybody does. Compound that with a sedentary lifestyle example of parents, and guess what? Overweight kids. <BR/><BR/>The answer is simple, though a little more difficult to implement: Feed kids better. Eat more vegetables and get rid of processed refined sugars. Don't drink juice by default - drink water, and make juice a treat. As parents set the example of being active yourself, and eating real food in moderation, and your kids will follow. they will certainly eat junk in their teens, and that's ok, but they will have a foundation in solid habits. <BR/><BR/>This is just throwing money at a problem....<BR/><BR/>AAAACK!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-34103183720900506562008-09-10T23:09:00.000-04:002008-09-10T23:09:00.000-04:00Ohhh, really gotta say I hate this development. Be...Ohhh, really gotta say I hate this development. Besides the fact that jogging on a treadmill simply isn't as good as jogging in a park (therefore developing misconceptions in children about proper exercise habits) I think the idea that we can just throw our kids some machine to take care of their health is just dangerous.<BR/><BR/>Kids should be running, playing soccer, swimming and not eating rubish.<BR/><BR/>This is not rocket science.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-65641485180958396112008-09-10T19:25:00.000-04:002008-09-10T19:25:00.000-04:00"Sigh. The world's goin' to hell in a handbasket."..."Sigh. The world's goin' to hell in a handbasket."<BR/><BR/>I so agree. I think you should do a post on how politics is bad for your health!!! Literally. I'm waking up in the night with chest pains. Thought you might enjoy my latest drawing!!! (2 down, 8 to go)<BR/><BR/>http://melissa-mindsweeper.blogspot.com/2008/09/politics-makes-me-sick.htmlMelissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12785796365378274088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-4968983124062250402008-09-10T16:52:00.001-04:002008-09-10T16:52:00.001-04:00This is why we love living in our neighborhood. I...This is why we love living in our neighborhood. I let the kids play in the park and creek, or walk to the pool club across the street, and they have a blast. In fact, they are having a ball these days building forts with the tree branches blown down by Hurricane Gustav!<BR/><BR/>I must admit, though, that I would have loved this in grade and high school as I despised P.E. This would have been a great alternative for the unathletic.<BR/><BR/>Good to have power back and be able to read your rants, Crabby!<BR/><BR/>messymimiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-29444563154917107742008-09-10T16:52:00.000-04:002008-09-10T16:52:00.000-04:00My first reaction was "Gack!" My second reaction w...My first reaction was "Gack!" My second reaction was "So why is adult exercise equipment always black or beige? Why no purple? Huh, manufacturers?"<BR/>Then I thought "What happened to climbing trees? Wouldn't it be fun to have an indoor tree? Maybe with limbs that could be rearranged for variety and challenge? Much more practical than an indoor trampoline!"<BR/>I gave up on Modern Kids thirty years ago. I've actively avoided finding out what it's like now.<BR/><BR/>Mary Anne in Kentucky, quite curmudgeonlyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-2863297092674941822008-09-10T16:29:00.000-04:002008-09-10T16:29:00.000-04:00Just came across your blog - LOVE IT- on this topi...Just came across your blog - LOVE IT- on this topic- I think it's crazy! I LOVED being outside and doing "obstacle courses" and playing active games like Mother May I and Red Rover, Capture the Flag, Tag, etc. I definitely remember the day I was introduced to a treadmill and I think it's a rite of passage that should wait until high school (in most cases...).fittingbackinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03936508772597439162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-70829842738996564362008-09-10T16:09:00.000-04:002008-09-10T16:09:00.000-04:00I agree with you completely. I think it’s a sad st...I agree with you completely. I think it’s a sad state of affairs if kids have to get exercise on a machine. But this got me thinking. Why am I so outraged at thinking about putting a kid on a treadmill but it’s OK for me to walk and go nowhere? Why can’t I have fun running around and getting exercise in a fun way. I’m not saying I’m giving up my gym-time – it serves its purpose in my life, for sure. But maybe we should all think about how far gone we are when we keep inventing things to “save” us the trouble of moving (drive throughs, etc.) and then making ourselves find time to workout. It’s kind of ridiculous when you really think about it.HEALTHY AMELIAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16873651025465368628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-14522103732058773852008-09-10T15:54:00.000-04:002008-09-10T15:54:00.000-04:00I just did a huge market research report about ove...I just did a huge market research report about overprotected kids (dubbed "cotton wool kids" here in the UK). This treadmill is the tip of the iceberg. When I was a kid, we used to test our rollerskating limits by skating as fast as we could down hills. No helmets or kneepads. Many skinned knees. Great fun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-36763424499455068372008-09-10T14:42:00.000-04:002008-09-10T14:42:00.000-04:00Those look so cool! What a great idea! Nice one! :...Those look so cool! What a great idea! Nice one! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-86960329924614937262008-09-10T14:35:00.000-04:002008-09-10T14:35:00.000-04:00Yes, times have changed a lot... And it is sad, be...Yes, times have changed a lot... And it is sad, because really, how much funner would it be for a kid to be running around the yard/park with his buddy, checking out bugs and making up superhero scenarios ...Alicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00425148037615520256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-69890602925367400642008-09-10T14:32:00.000-04:002008-09-10T14:32:00.000-04:00I'm all about play time!! I feel like you do, Crab...I'm all about play time!! I feel like you do, Crabby! Of course, often when I look at all the adult folks at the fitness center working out on the various aerobic machines, I think, "What the heck is going on here?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-27067086789082183312008-09-10T14:23:00.000-04:002008-09-10T14:23:00.000-04:00This says it all: "Yet doesn't it almost seem like...This says it all: "Yet doesn't it almost seem like the safer the neighborhood, the less likely you are to see kids playing in it? " <BR/><BR/>Too true, sadly enough. As far as the kiddie 'mills, all I can think is that they are indicative of a larger societal change rather than the impetus.Charlottehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04339643338071382257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-79220900934583259872008-09-10T13:59:00.000-04:002008-09-10T13:59:00.000-04:00in theory, i think it could be a good idea. the da...in theory, i think it could be a good idea. the day care center at my gym showed this cartoony workout video that was very simple with ... someone i can't remember as the lead but it captivated the kids EVERY time we put it in. some of the kids would actually hop around and stuff with it too.<BR/><BR/>however, i don't know when stuff, even in the 'burbs, got so safe and sanitized. the house my brother and i first grew up in had a front yard that was basically composed of lava rock and cacti as well as one HUGE rock near the path that was surrounded by aspens. we played on that rock all the time. <BR/><BR/>when i was about 6, we moved to cali for two years. when we moved back to colorado, we drove past our old house - our gloriously xeriscaped front yard had been turned into grass - for, we think, the young kids who moved in after us since there was a plastic tricycle on the front yard. *sigh*Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03808070327493365276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-88477657761108264452008-09-10T13:22:00.000-04:002008-09-10T13:22:00.000-04:00My new Club has a room for kids aged 8 to 14. My s...My new Club has a room for kids aged 8 to 14. My son is excited as hell to be in there because they have smaller sized workout machines. The kids have to have two training sessions and then be able to pass a written test before they are allowed to use the stuff.<BR/><BR/>While I'm not a big proponent of weight training for kids that young, my son is jazzed. He'll get to work out like I do, he'll get to build muscle (his words, not mine!) to make him better at soccer -- and, from where I sit, it's better than making him sit in a room and play outdated video games (like he did at the old gym) while I work out. <BR/><BR/>And when we get home and have recovered, then we'll go kick that soccer ball around the yard.Susan Helene Gottfriedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12778191943289129869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-5257607827821611042008-09-10T13:21:00.000-04:002008-09-10T13:21:00.000-04:00Can I just clarify something? When I said "roam t...Can I just clarify something? When I said "roam the neighborhood" I mean the 100 yards from our house to the end of the "dead end" part of our street, and there are 4 other families with kids who are all my kids ages so there are ALWAYS a few kids outside playing, AND two sets of grandparents sitting on their porches watching said kids playing. So it's not like I'm turning my kids out into the ghetto and letting them run around til midnight. <BR/><BR/>Feeling a little attacked here by someone and I hope this clears things up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-68583403024606510922008-09-10T12:58:00.000-04:002008-09-10T12:58:00.000-04:00AAHHH indeed.There's a place for it for kids with ...AAHHH indeed.<BR/><BR/>There's a place for it for kids with serious problems. <BR/><BR/>But regular kids? Um, how about they go outside and be kids and play? I'm pretty sure that that's how it worked "back in the day" and we all turned out alright!<BR/><BR/>I'm concerned about what that could do for a kids psyche.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18285850895862247408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-70050732310640876272008-09-10T12:57:00.000-04:002008-09-10T12:57:00.000-04:00Oh, wow. I had pretty much the same reactions you...Oh, wow. I had pretty much the same reactions you did, Crabby. But even if the kiddo wanted to exercise with me, I don't think I'd buy him/her a treadmill. S/he can use mine when I'm not using it (because yeah - I'm betting on 10 minutes of "I'm just like Mommy!" followed by never getting on it again.<BR/><BR/>There's a third thing here too, though. We've covered "going out to play" and exercise equipment, but what about sports, dance classes, horseback riding lessons, whatever? I didn't set foot in a gym until I graduated college, and ironically it was only after I graduated that I started gaining wieght. But I danced. I danced a LOT. As a kid I usually had classes 2 or 3 nights a week, and more than one class each night. As a teen/adult, I danced almost 40 hours a week. <BR/><BR/>Our neighbors' kids played soccer. Our other neighbors' kids played football (boys) and softball (girls). There was a LOT of activity on our block, much of it structured (as well as unstructured).<BR/><BR/>I'm just not sure that putting kids on a treadmill/gym/whatever is a good idea. They'll be exposed to that when they're older, but in the meantime, going out to play or joining a team or a dance class or whatever will also give them another option.<BR/><BR/>(By the way, you know the workouts I am STILL least likely to skip? Dance classes. Because they're FUN.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-34699717332384493072008-09-10T12:41:00.000-04:002008-09-10T12:41:00.000-04:00Lynn brings up a great point; parents who let thei...Lynn brings up a great point; parents who let their kids outside to play unsupervised are likely to find themselves in trouble. And a lot of hospitals keep a closer eye on patients' records. If my kids were to have the same number of injuries that I had growing up, Social Services would be at my home in a heartbeat, lol! I wasn't abused, I just fell. A lot. From trying to do kid things, like riding my skateboard at breakneck speeds down big hills and, yes, jumping off the garage with an umbrella, trying to be Mary Poppins.<BR/>In our case, our kids have Autism. They need supervision. But a kiddie treadmill? Nah. They'd get bored. We do have a trampoline, however.azusmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08833120044345423052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-38424770760081483722008-09-10T12:17:00.000-04:002008-09-10T12:17:00.000-04:00First reaction - that picture is so cute!Second re...First reaction - that picture is so cute!<BR/><BR/>Second reacion - whatever happened to going outside to play?<BR/><BR/>Third reaction - maybe it's not such a bad idea to get kids used to the idea of fitness equipment and exercising.<BR/><BR/>When I was a kid, yes my Mom used to kick us outside to play. But we were fortunate enough to live in a place we could do that. What if you are in an apartment in a city?<BR/><BR/>Also, note that I said Mom "kicked us outside". Left to our own devices, my sister and I would have quite happily curled up with a book. I hated gym class, was never into playing sports, and for years thought "exercise" was some hideous form of torture. <BR/><BR/>Eventually I did realize it didn't have to be so bad. So maybe it's not such a crazy idea to have a kiddie treadmill. If I had a kid, I'd take it out to play, but I can also see parking the kiddie treadmill next to my adult size one, then we could both tread together. Why not?JavaChickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06816858010039395389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1704170106558126102.post-32229138798973745982008-09-10T12:12:00.000-04:002008-09-10T12:12:00.000-04:00This is a great article and a great post - definit...This is a great article and a great post - definitely very helpful to women who shares the same sentiments and are seeking information. Definitely informative! <BR/>I would also like to suggest this site: <A HREF="http://www.olgasrelief.com" REL="nofollow">Olga's Relief</A>. You might find some valuable information regarding Woman's health and Issues. Cheers!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com