DH running with dd(8) at 5am

Yeah it should be a mix of different exercise/active play, just running alone at that rate is too much, but I was responding to someone saying that much exercise a day is too much which just isn't true.

According to the NHS, who also tell us we should only be eating 5 bits of fruit and veg a day, when in reality we should be eating double that.

NHS advice is aimed at the lowest common denominator.

Finland. Here's a study on it if you'd like https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9985767/

Most countries in Europe recommend more exercise for children than the NHS does, and have healthcare practices that are actually based on contemporary research, unlike the dinosaurs at NICE who are suspicious of anything less than 10 years old. But then most kids in continental Europe are more active than the poor wee iPad addicted kids here, whose parents are either too busy, too anxious or too lazy to facilitate outdoor activities and sports.

PP is in Japan, I believe. She's posted loads over the years.

3 hours of running or other rigorous physical activity will 100% damage kids bones.

There are plenty of other ways to be active through play, walking etc

I’m a bit chinny reckon about this. Bet you won’t tell us what country

Says the health authority in my country. Which apparently wants children to be more active than the NHS wants, which seems to be a good thing considering children seem to be a lot fitter in my country than in the UK.

Agree that the 'I'm awake knowing she's awake' bit is a you problem, but it also seems excessive for an 8 yo. They shouldn't be doing the same exercise regime as an adult man. I think the compromise of 1/2 days a week, either Saturday or Fri-Sat, seems reasonable.

So as two sensible parents you say no. She can’t run with him on school days as it is too much and much too early. She can’t run join him on a weekend run.

To allow this is, frankly, batshit.

My country says 3 hours a day minimum for under 7s and at least 1-2 hours a day for over 7s. Now if she is showing signs of over doing it - pain, sleep problems, tiredness, routines out of whack, then its too much, which is quite possible with running for all the exercise because of the stress on the joints, but that amount of exercise in general is fine.

Same. Used to love going out with my dad when everyone else was asleep- I still remember those times fondly. Great bonding

That rule of thumb sounds like bullshit to me. Like, everyone who’s ever met a 5 yr old knows they are little dynamos who just keep going and going. I can’t imagine trying to limit a 5 yr old to 5 hours of exercise per week. Unless we’re not counting all the running around play grounds, kicking balls against the garden wall and walking to school as exercise?

Says who?

5+ should have 1 hour a day of physical activity.

The OPs child is doing more than twice that.

@Natsku NHS state aim for 60 minutes spread across the day. Obviously many children will do more than this, but much of the exercise OP’s DD is doing is putting stress on her joints for reasonable amount of time in one period

My children, particularly my dd, absolutely loved doing stuff with her dad. Tell him to take her clothes downstairs the night before so it’ll be quieter.

A 5k parkrun once a week at 9am, in daylight (maybe sunshine!) after a proper night's sleep is a totally different ballgame to running at 5am.

Children are supposed to get 2 to 3 hours of exercise every day though

@foreveror how many hours gymnastics does she do?

No, my background is in exercise and I wouldn't be happy with an 8yo doing that much exercise, mostly high impact.

Does she have any days where she rests completely?

So it’s a ‘you’ problem then?

If so, you’re just going to have to get over it.

Tell them to be extra quiet etc but if it’s more about your anxiety of her being out of the house then you’re just going to have to learn to deal with it.

If you think she’s genuinely unsafe or is not enjoying it/not getting enough sleep then I’d ask that they move it to 6am instead.

This is a complete non issue. You should be proud your DD is sporty and active, that sets her up for teenage years so much more than girls who are never encouraged to do sport or have interests. Just because it isn’t what you want to be doing, doesn’t mean it’s wrong for her.

OK, is it actually the issue that they're waking you up, or is it that you can't cope with your anxiety over her being out of the house without you? How do you cope when she's in school? At her clubs? At friends' houses? Would it be different if they weren't out running, if they were walking a dog for example?

Perhaps given her age they could shorten the distance, if they are going a few times a week. Means they could get up a bit later. Or DH could get up and run a couple of miles, then pick up DD for the last couple.

Those panicking about kids running, well of course they shouldn't be doing marathon training, but there are loads of kids her age doing parkruns, not junior ones, the whole 5k with a parent. Most of the under 10s I see are run/walking. Are they actually running the whole time when they're out doing 5k?

As the parent of a 16 year old runner, I’d be concerned about Osgood Schlatters and stress fractures too. Road running is especially tough on young knees. There was a really talented U13 runner at DS’s athletics club who over trained, ended up with a stress fracture, has never fully recovered and her promising athletics career is over.

DD does hurdles and netball and had Osgood Schlatters last year, she was off sport for months and still gets flare ups a year later. I hope she has really good shoes. DS runs between 50-60km a week (under his coaches supervision) and get through a £200 pair of trainers every 6 months.

Unreasonable for an 8 year old to get up at 5am to run for excercise. I’d be worried about her losing sleep and also worried she might be damaging her body. It seems excessive.