Pilates for Kids with Mauro Pilates

By Chrissie Jarrell and Natalie Yerkovich
Austin Woman Magazine August 2012

The habits we learn as children shape our feelings toward fitness and wellness in to our adult lives. As a loved one in a child’s life, we have an amazing opportunity to encourage kids to default to a healthy lifestyle. Your influence through activity is so important and can be a fun way to connect with your children while showing them ways to be healthy and fit. Here are five ways to make fitness fun for your kids (and yourself).

1. MAKE IT SPECIAL

Build a routine based on fitness activities that goes beyond the activity itself. For instance, every Saturday morning, take the family for a run or walk around Lady Bird Lake, cool off at Barton Springs and wind down with a healthy lunch together at Whole Foods. A special and recurring ritual is something to look forward to each weekend.

2. MAKE A GAME OF IT

It’s easy to forget you’re working out when you’re having fun. Ask your child to teach you a game they play at school. Start a game of soccer or volleyball with the entire family. Build an obstacle course and have everyone compete.

3. TAKE A TRIP

Visit a beautiful river and go canoeing, take a bike ride around a new city’s hike-and-bike trails, go hiking to the top of Enchanted Rock. Allow a change of scenery to inspire movement and exploration.

4. TAKE A CLASS

Enrolling your kids in a fitness class gives them a good opportunity to be trained by professionals and meet kids outside of school. Plus, you may be able to do your own workout while the kids are in class. (See below for just a few of the many fitness classes for kids.)

5. MIX IT UP

Kids get bored just like we do. Vary their activities so they are trying different things and learning new ways to move.

CLASSES FOR KIDS

Yoga: Austin Kula Yoga, Yoga Yoga
Pilates: Mauro Pilates
Martial Arts: Castle Hill Fitness (Kajukenbo for Kids)
Triathlon: T3 Multisports
Running: Gilbert’s Gazelles

SHUTTLE FOR KIDS

New service provides safe and convenient trans portation to after-school activities.

When Lake Travis ISD school bus driver Raqcuel Ayala realized that budget cuts meant students were no longer dropped off at extracurricular activities, the idea for a new business was born. Lake Travis Shuttle for Kids started rolling in January 2012 and provides a service shuttling kids door to door between schools, to after-school activities and picking them up in case of sickness or emergency. The driver texts parents when the child arrives at their destination. Currently available only in the Lake Travis ISD area. For more information, visit ltshuttleforkids.com or call 512.263.5437. Raqcuel will be featured on YNN’s Local Wonders segment airing Tuesday, Aug. 21 on channels 8 and 1505 on Time Warner Cable.

***

Chrissie Jarrell and Natalie Yerkovich, the gals who created myfitlist.com, do the grunt work for you. Well, the organizational grunt work, anyway. They work hard to connect people with the fitness groups, information and resources they need so they can grunt, sweat and tone to achieve their personal goals.

Read the fun and inspirational fitness articles by the creators of MyFitList, every month in Austin Woman Magazine. This article can be found in the August 2012 issue on stands and online now!

***

MyFitList brings together the latest information on hundreds of local fitness businesses in Austin. We’re your resource for inspiration and information for getting and staying fit. Search hundreds of Austin fitness groups and services like running, triathlon, bootcamps, yoga studios, gyms and more all in one place! Check us out at www.myfitlist.com