Discussion
66 minor (almost 13 yo) has at last accepted that she is going to have to do some exercise to shift some of her "winter coat". This is a major milestone.
She is not built for weight bearing aerobic activity (eg running; cycling, otoh, is fine but finding time for it is an issue). She has looked long and hard for an activity that she can take up.
So far she has come up with two: water polo (which she plays already and I used to play, and is fine) and boxing.
Boxing. Hmm.
I think she may have found a local club - not sure. But my concerns are three fold. First, she's going to find the required levels of fitness largely unattainable. Secondly, loose teeth. Having "invested" a few thousand in local orthodontists I'd rather not see the product of that lying on a canvass floor detached from its owner. Thirdly, broken noses. Not so great for a girl.
My question is this: at teenage level, what are the risks of losing teeth/breaking noses in amateur girls' boxing clubs?
She is not built for weight bearing aerobic activity (eg running; cycling, otoh, is fine but finding time for it is an issue). She has looked long and hard for an activity that she can take up.
So far she has come up with two: water polo (which she plays already and I used to play, and is fine) and boxing.
Boxing. Hmm.
I think she may have found a local club - not sure. But my concerns are three fold. First, she's going to find the required levels of fitness largely unattainable. Secondly, loose teeth. Having "invested" a few thousand in local orthodontists I'd rather not see the product of that lying on a canvass floor detached from its owner. Thirdly, broken noses. Not so great for a girl.
My question is this: at teenage level, what are the risks of losing teeth/breaking noses in amateur girls' boxing clubs?
V little. Firstly she will just train for a while before sparring.
She will wear a gum shield and head gear and a broken nose isnt the end of the world but it depends if she's naturally feminine and is the sort to want to be attractive or if she's more of a tomboy type.
What about swimming, cycling, walking etc.
Also, 70% of it is what she eats! not what exercise she does. Cant you control her eating more and have a discussion with her about boys and girls and how when she's older she may want to be seen as attractive rather than overweight and talk to her about health etc.
I'm not a parent so have no clue!
Why is finding time for running or cycling an issue but not for boxing?
She will wear a gum shield and head gear and a broken nose isnt the end of the world but it depends if she's naturally feminine and is the sort to want to be attractive or if she's more of a tomboy type.
What about swimming, cycling, walking etc.
Also, 70% of it is what she eats! not what exercise she does. Cant you control her eating more and have a discussion with her about boys and girls and how when she's older she may want to be seen as attractive rather than overweight and talk to her about health etc.
I'm not a parent so have no clue!
Why is finding time for running or cycling an issue but not for boxing?
jonah35 said:
V little. Firstly she will just train for a while before sparring.
She will wear a gum shield and head gear and a broken nose isnt the end of the world but it depends if she's naturally feminine and is the sort to want to be attractive or if she's more of a tomboy type.
What about swimming, cycling, walking etc.
Also, 70% of it is what she eats! not what exercise she does. Cant you control her eating more and have a discussion with her about boys and girls and how when she's older she may want to be seen as attractive rather than overweight and talk to her about health etc.
I'm not a parent so have no clue!
Why is finding time for running or cycling an issue but not for boxing?
Thx for the indications about injuries. I'm not sure she'd be very keen on a broken nose. I might dig out a picture of Mike Tindall and she what she thinks!She will wear a gum shield and head gear and a broken nose isnt the end of the world but it depends if she's naturally feminine and is the sort to want to be attractive or if she's more of a tomboy type.
What about swimming, cycling, walking etc.
Also, 70% of it is what she eats! not what exercise she does. Cant you control her eating more and have a discussion with her about boys and girls and how when she's older she may want to be seen as attractive rather than overweight and talk to her about health etc.
I'm not a parent so have no clue!
Why is finding time for running or cycling an issue but not for boxing?
I know eating is the silent half of the equation. She has bad eating habits. We have raised these and (perhaps understandably) she does the "I don't want to listen to you" routine. Talking to a pre teen girl about her weight isn't easy, I can tell you. I've noticed that over the last year (her first year at secondary school) she's added weight, which tells me she is snacking somewhere, somehow, but no matter what I try I can't get a reliable confession from her. Mercifully, she seems In the last couple of months to have realised that her diet needs attention, and tried eating differently. Trouble is that completely unlike her older sister, she's a fussy eater with a sweet tooth. Still, as a large part of the problem is getting her to recognise the existence of a problem, I'm encouraged.
Exercise, or more specifically the form of exercise, is an issue. She can't/won't run. Simple as. Think of the kid puffing around at the back of the x-country field. FWIW, I'm a strong believer in kids doing sports that they are good at, because everyone likes doing things they are good at, right? So running ain't happening anytime soon.
Cycling is more promising. At the beginning of the summer she started using her sister's road bike on the turbo trainer, which was a massive step forwards. I'd rather push her in that direction. The problem there is that she has no desire to take up a sport where her sis will be better than her, and as her sis is skinny and athletic, cycling is tricky as a long term objective. I am thinking about perhaps introducing her to track cycling, as that may be more suited to her physique...longer term plan though.
As for walking, one of my bugbears about her secondary school is that is is the other side of South London. She gets a coach - 40 mins each way. I've cycled in London for >20 years, I've looked at numerous routes, and I wouldn't be keen to ride any of them myself let alone let her do so. PT isn't really an option, as it's a min of two trains and a longer journey. That journey eats into both ends of her day, and homework further cuts down time in the day. At school the only sport she's really gelled with is water polo, but as you'd expect at any school, it's such a minority interest sport that she has to do it in her own time.
Hmm.
Greg66 said:
My question is this: at teenage level, what are the risks of losing teeth/breaking noses in amateur girls' boxing clubs?
None, if she doesn't fight. And that is an option. However, punching things is only a small part of the exercise involved in boxing - an awful lot of it is going to be weight bearing aerobic training. Rocky did run up the steps as well as punching dead cows. Hoofy said:
She could try the likes of Body Combat. It's basically 30 young women jumping and running around a room doing martial arts moves to high energy music. I don't know why I'm not already doing it. 
Joking aside, a class like that would probably be quite good.Boxercise is a really popular class at my local gym and it is meant to be a decent workout.
BenM77 said:
Hoofy said:
She could try the likes of Body Combat. It's basically 30 young women jumping and running around a room doing martial arts moves to high energy music. I don't know why I'm not already doing it.
Joking aside, a class like that would probably be quite good.
k that. I'd be dead after 10 minutes."Hoofy said:
BenM77 said:
Hoofy said:
She could try the likes of Body Combat. It's basically 30 young women jumping and running around a room doing martial arts moves to high energy music. I don't know why I'm not already doing it.
Joking aside, a class like that would probably be quite good.k that. I'd be dead after 10 minutes."
I know quite a few people from work who rate it and they all have a decent fitness background. Not my thing as I train at home but it is very popular!
What about some sort of 'street dance'/hip hop inspired dance classes? And has she seen those vids of these trim athletic girls being flung around the sky by their male athletic counterparts?
Or possibly not the influence youre after...anyway maybe these could inspire her to get the same results in a dance studio environment, if she likes music and dancing, that is.
Or possibly not the influence youre after...anyway maybe these could inspire her to get the same results in a dance studio environment, if she likes music and dancing, that is.
Whatever you do, do not watch "Million Dollar Baby."
I'd be happy for my daughters or my son to have a go at boxing, it's not for everyone and you find out pretty quick if you like it or not, some (not all) boxing gyms can be, let's say "characterful" places, you might like to shadow her for a while.
If she wants to do something "fighty" but doesn't like the boxing then Judo is good for kids, most clubs are more set up for kids, especially girls, than boxing clubs are - in general.
I'd be happy for my daughters or my son to have a go at boxing, it's not for everyone and you find out pretty quick if you like it or not, some (not all) boxing gyms can be, let's say "characterful" places, you might like to shadow her for a while.
If she wants to do something "fighty" but doesn't like the boxing then Judo is good for kids, most clubs are more set up for kids, especially girls, than boxing clubs are - in general.
Non-combat boxing is great, I used to do it as part of a wider fitness program. No fighting involved and great for strengthening and weight loss, with the added benefit of knowing how to throw a good punch that could potentially get you out of a sticky situation. (I've never needed to do that, thank goodness.)
I think you're absolutely right that the recognition of a problem is the biggest deal here - now that she knows she's got to deal with it she'll be far more likely to do so. I'm a fit and healthy 31 year old woman who has had minor weight problems in the past - and they were largely down to sneaky snacking and poor self-esteem. I felt like I looked rubbish, so I ate chocolate and crisps because they made me feel better. Then they made me look worse, and the cycle began again. Typical situation, I'd say.
Once I recognised this and decided to do something about it, I started to exercise and when I noticed weight coming off, it also helped me realise that I felt rubbish when I ate rubbish. So I changed my attitude towards food, too - not in a restrictive way, I still love the occasional pack of Doritos and the less occasional chocolate, but the majority of my diet is healthy nowadays and I love it. When I was 13, however, I'd have rather died than admit that sometimes I'd prefer eating a salad or some grilled fish to chocolate or KFC!
I think once she starts to see results, that will set something else off. I wish her good luck!
I think you're absolutely right that the recognition of a problem is the biggest deal here - now that she knows she's got to deal with it she'll be far more likely to do so. I'm a fit and healthy 31 year old woman who has had minor weight problems in the past - and they were largely down to sneaky snacking and poor self-esteem. I felt like I looked rubbish, so I ate chocolate and crisps because they made me feel better. Then they made me look worse, and the cycle began again. Typical situation, I'd say.
Once I recognised this and decided to do something about it, I started to exercise and when I noticed weight coming off, it also helped me realise that I felt rubbish when I ate rubbish. So I changed my attitude towards food, too - not in a restrictive way, I still love the occasional pack of Doritos and the less occasional chocolate, but the majority of my diet is healthy nowadays and I love it. When I was 13, however, I'd have rather died than admit that sometimes I'd prefer eating a salad or some grilled fish to chocolate or KFC!
I think once she starts to see results, that will set something else off. I wish her good luck!
Thanks for all the replies. She has it in her head to do a proper sport (vs say, street dance). This is likely my fault, but a different story.
I like the idea of judo. I will try to steer her that way. I have little desire to stump up more money to get her nose fixed, on top of getting her teeth re-fixed...
I like the idea of judo. I will try to steer her that way. I have little desire to stump up more money to get her nose fixed, on top of getting her teeth re-fixed...
DoubleSix said:
Greg66 said:
I know eating is the silent half of the equation.
It's far more than 'half' the equation though. Solve this, solve the issue. No amount of exercise will work if the diet is wrong.
But let's face it - most people haven't got the time or energy so it's easier just to not eat so much.
As a dad of 4, all involved in sports and training a lot - I can assure you, if you send a fat kid to do sports and don't change their eating.....you have a fat kid doing sports.
Mine are all good but some of the kids I see train with them are a joke....the parents (also fat) say "I dont get it...he trains 4 times a week....how come your 10 year old has a six pack and mine doesnt?....anyway, off for a burger"
FOOD - sorts fat levels
Exercise - sorts muscle, fitness, cardio, the rest
Mine are all good but some of the kids I see train with them are a joke....the parents (also fat) say "I dont get it...he trains 4 times a week....how come your 10 year old has a six pack and mine doesnt?....anyway, off for a burger"
FOOD - sorts fat levels
Exercise - sorts muscle, fitness, cardio, the rest
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