Cycling and swimming help build bone density, muscle mass and cardio-respiratory strength in children

Fitness expert Wanitha Ashok answers questions related to fitness and health.

I am 27 years old and used to be a dancer. After the birth of my daughter two years back, I stopped dancing and put on a lot of weight. I do not have the time to do a rigorous riyaaz with such a small baby. Can you suggest some simple exercises for me? My lower body has become disproportionately overweight.
—Sunita, Dollars Colony
Discontinuation of any activity, even simple walking, will result in weight gain as there is no calorie expenditure. Modifying calorie intake in the absence of activity is the wisest thing to do.

Pregnancy cannot be blamed totally for weight gain. All through pregnancy simple exercise is recommended unless someone is advised bed rest. A well balanced nutritious meal is often neglected and most women go on a binging spree. Excess calorie intake along with inactivity lead to massive weight gain.

And post-delivery, the baby keeps the mother busy. The best thing to do in such situations is to exercise whenever the baby is asleep, as any exercise is a good. You can try spot-walking, jogging, stair climbing or you can even get your child a good tricycle and take her out to the park and get a fair amount of exercise. With Wii games life becomes even better. You can workout right in your living room. There is no spot reduction and the calorie burn comes from all over the body when you exercise. It is possible to address the trouble zone but it takes a long a time. Patience and commitment will give you the desired results. However you can do some lower body exercise to tone and sculpt the area. And lastly watch what you eat.

I have a 11-year-old daughter. She used to be quite an active child, though just a little bit on the plump side, but not seriously overweight. Now that she is about to hit her teens, she has become conscious about her body and clothes etc. Strangely, though, she seems reluctant to go out to play, which used to be one of the major forms of exercise for her. How do I encourage and motivate her to play actively? I also want to get her enrolled in a gym or yoga class but can’t decide if she’s too young for that yet. Is it safe for her to go to a gym by herself since I work till pretty late and cannot accompany her after school? Please advise.
— Rashmee VK, HRBR Layout
Man was made to move. So any activity is a must for all age groups, more so for growing children as it builds the muscle mass and bone density. As she prefers not to step out to play you can try introducing her to many other activities. Dance classes, aerobic classes, swimming, cycling, basket ball — make her choose any one of these. I am sure she will take a liking to one of them. My suggestion would be to encourage her to cycle or swim for a good 30-40 minutes as both these exercises have a positive response on the bone density, muscle mass and cardio respiratory strength. Dance will be the next option. There are plenty of Wii games in the market too, that help a child get exercise. From racquet games to dance or skiing, she can choose what she enjoys most. Gym would not be very appealing to her and moreover you need to find a good gym with updated certified trainers or she might not be properly guided and end up lifting heavy weights which is not necessary at this age. However if you do enrol her in a gym, see to it that she is made to work on the cardio machines and do stretches and works her core and abs.

Wanitha Ashok is the founder of Moving Body chain of fitness centres and is a trained expert