Motivating Your Child To Be Physically Active

Compared to how they were a decade ago, kids these days are starting to get less and less active. With the presence of a lot of entertaining video games, movies, TV shows and the likes, children have become less likely to leave their houses and would rather stay inside than to go out and play with their friends.

Because of that, most of the kids nowadays are struggling to get enough daily activity. Aside from the fact that the increasing demands of school takes up most of their precious time, other things that captures their attention, such as the internet and video games saps up their time and energy, leaving them with no time and energy left for a physical activity.

Despite of these barriers, parents can still do something to encourage their child to engage in a physical fitness activity. We will discuss those things in this article :)

Benefits of Being Active

First of all, we will talk about why is it important for your child to participate in physical activities. Most of us already know that participating in physical activities, whether it is a simple act of jogging or a more intense sports, can provide numerous health benefits to children. Some of the benefits they can get through exercise are:

· Stronger muscles and healthier and denser bones

· Weight Loss / Weight Gain

· Increased Self-Esteem

· Increased Physical Fitness

· Better Mental Clarity

· Better Overall Health

Also, it is proven that physically active children are more likely to perform better in school and become more successful later in life. These kids also possess essential social skills such as leadership and being a good team player.

How Can I Encourage My Child To Do Physical Activity?

There’s a lot of things a child can get from doing a regular physical activity, but how can you actually encourage your kids to get physically active? 

Give Your Child The Opportunity to be Active

Give your child the resources he/she needs, whether it is a place or an equipment, so he/she can start to be physically active. Take your child to a place where he/she can get physically active, such as the playground, gym, or a sports school. Also, you could provide him/her with equipment such as a bicycle or a basketball so he/she can start on the road to fitness.

Make It Fun

Kids won’t do something he/she doesn’t find interesting. That might be one of the reasons why more and more children prefer to play video games than to play outside. 

To encourage them to engage in a physical activity, you should make sure this is something that will capture their interest. Know what activities your child will enjoy. Is your child a good swimmer? Then consider going to the beach with your family. Is your child good at dancing? Then sign him/her up to a dance class.

When a child enjoys what he/she is doing, they are more likely to do more of it. That is why you should always pay attention to the things that can trigger their interest, in order to keep them motivated on being physically active.

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Why Participate in Gymnastics?

Participating in gymnastics for kids can provide numerous health benefits for children at a young age. No matter how intense the exercise is, as long as it enables the child to get active and keep moving, it can already do a lot of good things for them. 

Taking part in a physically-engaging sport such as gymnastics can boost the child’s athleticism and physical capabilities such as endurance, strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and such. Aside from that, regular participation in such activities can also improve the child’s social, mental and emotional health.

Traits such as leadership, patience, being a good team member, getting along well with others, and a greater sense of self confidence is also being developed in gymnastics for kids. As you can see, the sport of gymnastics is not only good for the child’s physical development, but it can also help your child build a better and more success-oriented character.

What you can get from gymnastics is more than just a medal or fame. By participating in gymnastics, you will be able to enjoy all the benefits the sport could give you.

Here’s some example of the benefits you can get by taking part in the sport of gymnastics.

Boosts One’s Self-Confidence

According to most studies, children who participate in gymnastics for kids and other equivalent physical sports have a higher sense of self confidence compared to those who do not. It is partly because those who participate in physical activities look more aesthetic and physically appealing than those who live an inactive and sedentary lifestyle. 

Also, engaging in physical exercises triggers the release of the feel-good hormones “dopamine”, which greatly helps in boosting both the mood and confidence of young children.

Improved Overall Health

Engaging in gymnastics activity allows the child to develop a healthier body and a stronger immune system, which is important in preventing sickness and diseases. Taking part in physically-engaging sports minimizes the likelihood of conditions such as asthma, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. Aside from that, participating in gymnastics encourages the child to live a healthier and more active exercise such as engaging in regular physical exercise and healthier eating patterns. 

Healthier and Sturdier Bones

Taking part in activities that includes weight bearing activity – such as gymnastics (when a gymnast carries her own body weight during a handstand) – helps the child develop sturdier and healthier bones. According to most studies, weight bearing exercises such of those performed in gymnastics for kids helps increase the bone density and overall bone health of the children.

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Baku To Host FIG World Cup; VTB Extends Sponsorship to FIG

Azerbaijan’s capital city, Baku, is getting ready to welcome gymnastics fans and elites at the FIG World Challenge Cup AGF Trophy 2016, to be hosted in the country for the first time early this year.

The said competition will be held at the National Gymnastics Arena from 19th to 21st of February 2016.

A total of 146 participants representing 19 different countries are expected to compete in the capital city of Baku.

Taking place at the National Gymnastics Arena, which accommodated six gymnastics disciplines during the 1st Baku European Games, the most anticipated competition will involve 46 men and 22 women gymnasts to fight for the medals.

Several notable gymnasts, comprised of the Japanese three-time World Champion (Floor and Team event) Kenzo Shirai, Japan’s Pommel Horse World bronze medallist Kaya Kazuma, Germany’s two-time Olympic silver medallist Marcel Nguyen, Israel’s European Floor Champion Alexander Shatilov and other prominent gymnasts will showcase their breathtaking performance at the Baku World Cup.

Prominent female gymnasts such as Uzbekistan’s European Champion Oksana Chusovitina, Brazil’s Youth Olympic Games Floor Champion Favia Lopes Saraiva, and three-time World Cup series champion Dorina Boeczoego will also participate in the said competition.

The most sought after gymnasts would definitely be Oleg Stepko, who won the bronze medal at the Parallel Bars event of the World Championships, and was the only Azerbaijani gymnast who took home five medals at the 1st European Games, as well as his compatriot Petro Pakhnyuk, who won the bronze medal in a team competition along with Stepko at the 2015 Baku Games.

The representative of the Women’s Azerbaijani Gymnastics would be the World Challenge Cup silver medalist Kristina Pravdina, along with Marina Nekrasova, Yuliya Inshina and Mariia Smirnova.

Aside from the upcoming Artistic Gymnastics World Cup, the country will also host a World Cup series in Trampoline Gymnastics on 5th and 6th of March 2016.

Baku was also assigned to host the European Championships in Trampoline Gymnastics in 2018.

VTB Bank Extends Sponsorship to FIG

Russia’s VTB Bank, which since 2009 has been a major sponsor of the sport of Gymnastics, has extended its contract with the International Federation of Gymnastics for 2016.

FIG’s President Bruno Grandi and VTB’s First Deputy Chairman and Vice President of FIG Vasily Titov sealed the agreement last Friday during a meeting at the FIG Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The agreement includes a donation of US$1 million, of which would be used as developmental funds for the continental unions.

"VTB has the pleasure of once more renewing our sponsorship with the FIG and thereby supporting gymnastics, one of the three major Olympic sports," said Titov.

"We are very happy to be able to contribute to the development of this beautiful sport around the world."

"As I begin my final year as head of the FIG, I am delighted to see our loyal partner confirm its support," Grandi said.

"This contribution is targeted toward the development of sport on all five continents, which is excellent news for our continental unions."

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Health Benefits of Exercise

You’ve probably heard a thousand times that exercise is, without a doubt, good for your overall health. Whether it’s a simple activity like walking, jogging, and running or a more strenuous sports like basketball, tennis, or gymnastics, taking part in a physical activity can serve countless benefits for you, no matter how old or young you are.

Experts recommend that young people should get at least one hour of mild to moderate physical exercise per day. Today let us give you some reasons to start including exercise to your daily routine.

Benefits of Daily Exercise

Exercise Improves Your Mood

Exercise is not only beneficial for your body, but also for your brain. Performing physical activities regularly allows the body to release chemicals called “endorphins”, or also known as the “happy hormone”. Having an adequate amount of endorphins rushing through your system will help you feel more peaceful, happy and lively. So, if you’re feeling down and needs something to lift up your mood, go for a quick bout of exercise!

Exercise Can Boost Your Energy

According to research, if you feel fatigued, just simply getting off the couch and moving around can make you feel like you want to move more. That applies, too, in performing mild to moderate exercise. Performing a moderately-intense exercise for at least 15 to 20 minutes can make you feel more energized and active throughout the day. So, if you need something to get you off from that lazy rut, go for a quick jog or walk, it’ll get the job done!

Exercise Boosts Your Confidence

Exercise stimulates various brain chemicals (endorphins) which may help you feel happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and your own self when you take part in a physical activity regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve positive self-image.

Exercise Improves Your Appearance

Exercising regularly can help you achieve that lean, toned look. Taking part in any physical activities helps you burn excess calories and also tones your muscles, keeping you in a better, more attractive shape.

Exercise Leads to Better Overall Health

Taking part in a physical activity allows a child to develop a healthier body and a stronger immune system, which is pretty important to prevent sickness and diseases. Participating in a physical activity decreases the likelihood of conditions such as asthma, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Exercise can help a person age well.

This might seem insignificant today, but your body will thank you later. Adults, especially women, prone to a condition called osteoporosis (a medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile) as they get older. Studies have found that weight-bearing exercise — such as weight lifting and gymnastics — can help girls (and guys!) maintain healthier and stronger bones.

These are just some of the benefits you can get by taking part in a physical activity. So, start living a healthier and more active lifestyle, and add exercise in your day-to-day activities! :)

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Get Fit While You're Young!

Today, we will discuss the importance of getting fit and healthy while you’re young. Eating healthy and getting in shape at a young age is more than just boosting your attractiveness. Let us provide you a handful of reasons to start your fitness journey right now!

You’ll Develop Healthy Habits

There’s a great deal of truth with the saying that ‘any habits formed during childhood are often carried through their adulthood’. Starting to practice healthy habits like eating healthy, getting enough sleep and exercise, and taking part in physical activities such as gymnastics for kids while you’re young gets you on the right track early on. These types of healthy practices can help you avoid suffering from certain illnesses and diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease in your adulthood.

Forming good habits while you’re young “will be easier than if you’re trying to develop them when you’re in your 30s, 40s, or 50s,” says John Rowley, a certified personal trainer. “At that point you may have to change your whole life around to implement them. Another reason to adopt healthy habits early on is so you can apply them to other areas of your life. That’s what Arnold Schwarzenegger did. The tools he learned in the gym helped build his movie career, and eventually got him into government.” 

Being Physically Fit Leaves Better Impression

We might not always admit it, but most of the time, we judge people based on their looks. Say for example, you see someone with a slumped shoulders and a big tummy. Do you see him as someone who is hardworking and confident? Most likely, no.

Building a leaner and healthier body gets you prepared for the future. Your appearance is the first thing that your potential employer will notice, and having a fit body will make an impression that you’re disciplined, and is able to get the work done.

“Whether you’re in a suit or plumber’s uniform, being lean, fit, and in shape gives off the impression that you’re disciplined, hard-working, and intelligent,” said Rowley “If you’re in your 20s and just getting out of school, it helps your career by telling people that you have the ability to get the job done.”

Being Healthy Makes You More Productive

According to a research published in the journal ‘Physiology & Behavior’, having bad eating habits such as consuming too much sugary and processed foods leads to a lower energy level, leaving the subjects feeling tired and lazy. Also, according to a study published in the journal ‘Population Health Management’, any unhealthy habits outside of work have a direct impact on the employees’ productivity loss.

So, if you want to be successful, whether it be in life or in gymnastics, you need to keep yourself healthy to maintain high levels of energy and focus. Unhealthy habits obviously won’t get you there.

You’ll Develop Higher Levels of Confidence

Eating healthy and exercising regularly has a direct impact on boosting your confidence level. Simply performing basic exercises such as walking or running for 20-30 minutes is enough to reduce stress and anxiety, which will positively impact your mood. Also, being fit and in a good shape makes you more attractive, directly affecting your sense of self-worth.

“Typically, psychology will follow physiology,” Rowley says. “If you’re not feeling confident, start moving your body in a confident way. And when you’re fit with strong muscles, you move with confidence. Again, it’s about taking the lessons learned inside the gym and using them in other areas of their lives.” 

You’ll Learn to Set Goals

As mentioned in our other article, any kind of sport, especially gymnastics, is not something that you can rush. Being an active participant of these kinds of sports teaches you that unless you have superhuman powers, you need to set smaller, attainable goals to be able to effectively reach your goals. 

“Those structured goals that you use in the gym where you’re doing something on a regular basis to get a predictable result can be a training routine for life,” he says. “Find habits that are working for others, whether it’s a schedule or training routine, and use them yourself. It’s a very effective way to achieve success.” 

Those are just some of the benefits you can get if you’ll start your fitness journey at an early age. It is never too late to become physically fit! Learn gymnastics for kids with us. Enroll today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy and experience a high quality gymnastics training :)

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American Rhythmic Gymnast Makes History in the Sport

When Laura Zeng gets ready to compete, the “small-yet-terrible” American gymnast takes it very seriously. As she approaches the stage, her eyes stern and lips pursed and she walks with full confidence and swag. Then, she lifts up her right hand to salute the judges and the audience as she takes her position on the carpet. 

         

After that, she starts to widen her eyes and display the beauty of her smile, revealing the energy and excitement of all her performances, from a smooth and flawless performance with the hoops to a lively samba with the clubs.

Zeng is currently acknowledged as the best American rhythmic gymnast, with a lot of remarkable achievements at the young age of 16. Zeng secured the eight spot in the all-around event finals of the 2015 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships last September, the best all-around finish for an American gymnast. Her historic world all-around finish earned her country a spot in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The USA rhythmic gymnastics team also secured an Olympic spot and will be the first American rhythmic team to make it to the Olympics.  Zeng and her other teammates trains at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center in Deerfield.

The administrators of the USA gymnastics hope that the successes attained by Laura Zeng and the American gymnastics team in the recently held World Championships is the start of USA’s dominance in a sport long dominated by Eastern European gymnasts. During her training, Zeng said that to think that she had really earned a spot in the Olympics was “overwhelming”.

"I knew I had all these opportunities at this competition to reach those goals. I knew it was all on me," Zeng said. "So to be able to not let myself down and really go for it, it made me proud."

Artistic gymnastics is insanely famous among American audiences, mainly because of the world-renowned figures such as Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton. In comparison, rhythmic gymnastics barely possesses the same popularity and is a sport that is often misunderstood.

"When you say you do rhythmic gymnastics, people block the 'rhythmic' part," said Kris Shaldybin, 18, of Highwood, a member of the U.S. team. "They're like, 'Oh, do you like the beam?'"

For those who don’t know:

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport that uses hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon as the apparatus in their routines. (The use of rope was discontinued for seniors). The athletes earn points by combining balances, leaps and jumps, pivot turns, dance steps and basic acrobatics while maneuvering, tossing and catching the equipment with the different parts of their body. Each performance can earn up to 20 points, and they are scored based on execution and the difficulty of their routine. Rhythmic gymnastics athletes can compete as individuals or as a group.

In a group performance, each of the five team members will hold an apparatus, synchronize their routines and toss their apparatus with each other. The different teams will perform two routines with varying combinations of apparatus. During the Olympic season, groups will perform with five ribbons in one routine, and with two hoops and six clubs in the other.

"At first glance, people just think it's twirling with a ribbon," Zeng said. "But I don't think they understand how hard it is to get that routine done. It takes so much work to master the equipment, to make it a part of you, and to be able to do all those elements with musicality. It's so many things happening at once."

Zeng was originally studying Chinese dancing, but was later introduced to rhythmic gymnastics by her friend when she was just 7 years old.

"I was drawn to the performance aspect, as I was a dancer and I loved performing for the audience," Zeng said. "And the musicality and being able to express myself while also being able to do equipment handling also really appealed to me."

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Gymnastics: A Kid's Great Start Towards an Active Lifestyle

Kyle Shewfelt, a Canadian Olympic Floor gold medalist continues his quest of inspiring the next generation of gymnasts. However, Shewfelt doesn’t really mind if they’re aiming to hoard medals, his primary goal is for them to have fun

Yesterday, as a part of the gymnastics club's 2nd birthday celebration, Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics offered a "$2 per person" training session for the kids aged 6 years old and under. There was a morning and an afternoon session, and both sessions were filled with young students together with their parents.

According to the parents, encouraging their child to do gymnastics will not only benefit their child, but will also benefit them. “I have three very energetic kids. So it’s just a place where they can burn off some energy.” Kendra Trim said.

They said that they’d rather see their child spend all of their energy learning gymnastics than to waste it by playing at home and messing up with the furnitures.

“Jumping on the couch and jumping on the bed and yeah, it at least gets her to get rid of some energy here for sure,” Joey Hands said while talking about her daughter.

Gymnastics is a sport that has been existing for more than 2000 years, but only a few number of gymnast have been able to surpass Shewfelt, an athlete considered as the most successful Canadian gymnast in history.

Despite having a competitive blood running through his veins, Shewfelt’s facility primarily focuses on the fun side of the sport.

(Photo Credits: Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics)

“In order to get someone to the high performance level of sport, they have to fall in love with the sport at a young age. So for us, we thought…‘We’re going to focus on that foundation. We’re going to get as many kids as we can involved in the sport of gymnastics,” Shewfelt stated.

Joey Hand’s daughter has been a regular student of the Kyle Shewfelt Gymnastics, primarily because her daughter has been always an active and energetic kid.

“So she’s been climbing and climbing since she was really small and gymnastics is just such a good all around sport for coordination and body awareness,” said Hands.

“There’s so many kids that are static,” said Shewfelt, “that are just sitting on their Ipads, watching television and that’s just the nature of our world today. But the reality is that kids and people need to move their bodies.”

It is very important for any person, regardless of their age, to exercise and to continuously move their bodies. Besides, who doesn’t love to jump and play on the trampoline or the foam pit?

Yet, if Shewfelt sees that a child has the talent and the potential to be a great gymnast in the future, there is always an option to advance to the competitive level.

“We’ll gladly pass them along to someone else, where the coaching and facility are really catered to the high-performance side of the sport.”

Whichever path the kids take, whether they’re just doing gymnastics for fun or working to be a competitive gymnast, Shewfelt believes it’s all a swing to the right direction.

”I hear their laughter and their joy and the celebration when they learn something new and it really resonates with me. I can see a lot of myself in a lot of the kids that I see that walk through the doors.”

Following his retirement in the competition, Shewfelt dreamt of building Calgary’s leading non-competitive gymnastics club where everyone, regardless of their age and level in the sport, could enjoy and reap the benefits of training gymnastics in a fun, nurturing and supportive training environment.

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Kohei Uchimura: A Japanese Gymnastics Legend

Those who had the opportunity of reaching the podium with Kohei Uchimura depicts him as a remarkable artistic gymnast. “King Kohei”, “The Bolt of Gymnastics”, “Superman”, or in the most positive sense – a “monster” are only some of the titles that are given to this Japanese gymnastics legend. 

Given that he’s a five-time consecutive World all-around champion, this 26-year-old Japanese gymnast can be considered as the greatest male gymnast  of all time.

Aside from his dominance in the World All-around competitions which earned him a spot in the Guiness Book of World Records, Uchimura is captivating for his unending search for perfection, the Holy Grail of Gymnastics. If some in this generation have chosen to perform an increased level of difficulty in exchange of a good execution, Uchimura returns Men’s Artistic Gymnastics to all its nobility.

This search for perfection started since he was still a child. At the age of 3, he learned his first gymnastics skills with the help of his father, Kazuhisa, a former artistic gymnast. His father trained him at his own gymnastics club in Nagasaki. When he was 15 years old, Uchimura travelled to Tokyo to continue his training together with his idol Naoya Tsukahara, a key member of the gold-medal winning Japanese men’s artistic team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In the year 2007, while still a teenager, Uchimera joined the Japan’s National Team, where he instantly became famous for his astonishing feats.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Uchimura was the youngest member of the Japanese Men’s team, but that didn’t stop him from being one of the top performers. Despite the error that Uchimura commited while dismounting at the Pommel horse in the individual all-around final, he still managed to finish with a silver medal to go along with another silver medal in the Olympic team event.

It was in the following year that Uchimura began showing his extraordinary superiority in the sport, after finishing as a World Champion in the 2009 World Gymnastics Championships in London. He finished 2.5 points ahead of the second placer, the same score margin that separated 2nd from the 8th place.

Despite the lack of height, standing only 5 feet 3 inches, that didn’t stop this legendary gymnast from dominating the sport. Not even an injury has managed to hinder his path. At the 2010 World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, despite having a shoulder program, he still managed to defend his World All-around title along with three additional medals.

One year later, he took part in the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo despite experiencing a pain in his calf, but was such a “machine” that he still managed to finish 3 points ahead of the second placer, the same margin that separated 2nd from the 14th place. After winning his third World all-around gold medal, Uchimura earned a standing ovation from the audience that lasted for two minutes upon the completion of his final routine “I thought it was an earthquake. I’ve never received such applause,” he said.

After such a winning streak, getting a gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics was not a surprise anymore. On his way to Rio, the Japanese gymnastics legend displayed no sign of struggle in the 2013 and 2014 World Championships, obtaining another two World titles with little to no difficulty.

However, despite having an impressive collection of World (a total of 16 medals, including 7 gold) and Olympic Medals (five, including 1 gold and 4 silver), there is still one dream that the Olympic champion has yet to fulfill, to win a gold medal with his team at one of the great international competitions. Since 2008, the Chinese team has always been ahead of the Japan at the World Championships and Olympic Games.

Perhaps the Japanese team will eventually end up as gold medalists one of these years, fulfilling Uchimura’s ultimate dream. As of now, “King Kohei” plans to extend his gymnastics adventure until 2020, when Japan will host the Olympics for the first time since 1964.

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