Autumn Calabrese Gives Workout Advice to My 14-Year Old Son
As a mom who found fitness, stretching and nutrition especially helpful in my late thirties, I only WISH I had known about it sooner. My husband and I feel we are pretty good role models to our children when it comes to being healthy and active. We do what we can to stay fit and involve our kids in extracurricular activities that keep them active.
Having 4 kids, all at different ages and places in their lives, presents many opportunities as well as challenges when it comes to staying active. We certainly aren’t perfect, but we do take pride in the fact that our kids often join us at home when we workout to our Beachbody DVD fitness programs. That said, our 14-year old, as all teenagers seem to be, isn’t particularly interested in taking advice on fitness from Mom & Dad. He is a club soccer player and usually participates in a variety of sports at his middle school as well.
Our son is fast, agile and coordinated and he trains hard. I have learned from Tony Horton, and several other of my fitness mentors, that recovery and flexibility are KEY in preventing injury and ensuring continued progression. I’ve often urged my son to join us when we do yoga. I also invite him, likely incessantly in his mind, to join us when we do in-home weight training DVDs such as P90X3 or 21 Day Fix. He takes little or no interest and responds to my invitation with “no thanks Mom.”
Recently I had the chance to talk to Autumn Calabrese, creator of the 21 Day Fix, and I asked her to record a message to my son with her thoughts on the right kind of training activities for a teenage athlete. As a fellow mom and personal trainer, I knew she could give informed advice and perhaps persuade Jack to give stretching and yoga a try. In the video below she talks about importance of cross training, flexibility and yoga for all ages, including teenagers. I am hoping that this message will be useful to other moms out there who have budding athletes and want to do everything possible to keep them healthy & injury-free.
