How To Act If Your Child Doesn't Like Physical Activity

What do I do if my child doesn't like physical activity?

If you get the feeling, or have been told by your child, that they don't like being physically active and they don't like to exercise, I wonder about that. I'm wondering if you're setting the right example, for one. The other thing is that maybe it's just that they've been inactive long enough to the point where they forgot how good it feels. Exercise should never be used as a form of discipline. For example, when you were bad in high school or junior high they made you run a lap around the track. I completely disagree with that. Neurologically you link up exercise with punishment, and you carry that forward into adulthood, which is not a good thing. So, for a family, exercise should always be just, "Hey let's go and ride a bike. Let's go and kick the soccer ball around. Let's go for a walk around the park. Let's go for a hike." It doesn't have to be so structured for the kids, it's just getting them out there and doing it. That's really what matters.