To think he should be more active?

[Everyotherweekend]

How do you get your kids to be more active? DSS seems to lack energy. He plays sport twice a week and trains once. But apart from that is very sedentary. We try to get him out running with us, 5km but he constantly moans, cries, stops and generally makes a huge fuss - then complains of an 'injury' for weeks after. He won't go out on his bike, skateboard, scooter - too boring. We have a pool and he'll rarely go in that. Too boring/cold. If we go to the park, he'll happily have a kick about. But will refuse to do anything else, catch, frisbee - he'll just sit on the grass fed up. He's not overweight, but of a bigger build. He doesn't have much screen time. But generally struggles to entertain himself. He is 10. Is this normal ?

Was he more energetic when younger? If it's recently that he has become lethargic then maybe you're right to be concerned and could take him to the doctor?

Maybe he's just not hugely sporty. He enjoys it a few times a week with his sports club, is that not enough?

That sounds a bit like DD; she’ll play in the park for ages and play with her friends but try to go on a walk that she doesnt consider fun she will complain of legs hurting etc. It seems to come down to whether she considers it fun.

If it's recent, I second Cheerfully's suggestion of little check with the GP.

Maybe he's not a sporty kid and prefers books?

Ive two DC. One is a ball of energy. Constantly moving and wriggling and always outside playing. The other just isn’t. no matter how much I poke and prod he just isn’t moveable. He prefers inside and reading or tv or talking to friends. Some kids are just less active by nature.

Going running is dull for adults let alone a 10 year old.
Maybe up the sport he actually enjoys. Playing outside with friends is moving too.
This doesn't seem like an issue.

he constantly moans, cries, stops and generally makes a huge fuss - then complains of an 'injury' for weeks after

If a child of mine did that, I'd get it checked out.

Self-refer to an OT or go via your GP, and have them look at his joints, maybe he's hypermobile or has connective tissue problems and more than a small amount of exercise outside his usual amount actually does cause him pain and to react in the way he does.

Yeah i think it could just be boring for him unlike doing his sports with his teammates.
I personally hate running, nothing more boring to me.. would rather watch paint dry XD
I liked swimming if the pool was fun ( ours had a flume on saturdays and a wave machine)

I have lazy kids. Unless I actually go outside with them, they barely move. To be fair, I'm not a big fan of moving at the weekend-but that's cos I work my arse off during the week and do 3 gym classes. The weather doesn't help. I was out cutting th he tree down for 20 mins today and my hands went numb. Fuck that: I'm staying in until I can stop wearing gloves.

Not all children are inherently active. I wasn't..my dc aren't. I'm not saying it's good, but it's a fact..

He wants to get better at football. But it's his fitness that lets him down. I took him to swimming lessons - got him to squad level then he refused to go. (He was a great swimmer) Generally, he just doesn't like being told what to do, so struggles with coaching etc. he struggles with parkrun as he sees lots of kids sail past him. I'm trying to encourage him, as fitness would help him improve but he doesn't want to. We always ask him to bring a friend round - so he can run about, but he won't. I'm worried he is depressed.

Does he feel ill in other ways? I'd get a blood test and check up tbh. I was too tired to even run around as a kid at playtime. Everyone told me off and called me lazy until I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition!

He's had a check up recently for a persistent cough (viral asthma), nothing else was found.

I suspect any 10 year old would find running 5k with his parents a bit shit tbh. Maybe he doesn’t like it???? Try asking him what sport he likes. He’s doing structured exercise 3times a week. Maybe that’s all he wants to do.

Would he try something a little bit different, such as an indoor climbing wall? My friend's DS, who wasn't at all sporty, really took to that.
Do you have a trampoline in the garden he could use? Usually seen as fun.
Would his football coach be able to tell him he stands a better chance if he improves his general fitness, and suggest activities he could do to improve that? May be more likely to take advice from a coach rather than parents.
Would he try geo caching, so walking with a purpose?

The only sport he likes is football. Getting him to do anything above that is tough. But then he bores of football when he gets exhausted. (Quickly) Reluctant to clutter the garden with a trampoline. When he won't even use the pool. He'll go in if we all go in, but sometimes it's not practical! (When you've worked away all week you need to catch up with chores at some point!) Will try the climbing wall, but anything above the comfort zone is a struggle. We took him to one of the big trampoline parks and he really held back. I think improved fitness would help his confidence.

FFS, stop bullying your kid! Some people hate sport. It's OK not to like sport. Let him be himself. He's trying, in every way he can think of, to get the message across to you that he hates sport, yet you keep pushing him to do things that either bore him or cause him pain. Back the fuck off.

I think he is doing plenty. I assume he does PE also at school. Probably plays football at lunch with friends. Let him chill out. Soon he will be going to secondary school. Swamped with homework and exams amd he is going to need a release. That may be football, reading, art or just to sleep!/watch tv. Hes probably burnt out and juat wamts to chill out a bit. He doesnt need to be eunning around all the time. Hes more active than a lot of kids as he is!

@ReanimatedSGB - he doesn't hate sport. If you read through the thread. He's likes football, but is struggling with the fitness aspect of it. He gets annoyed at himself because he can't hack the pace - 70 mins on a full sized pitch. He keeps getting benched or put in goals (which upsets him) I didn't realise that trying to help him get fitter was bullying......I'm just trying to get my head around a 10 year old who seems to nap for 2 hours a day and lacks energy or enthusiasm!

At that age it's got to be fun, not exercise for its own sake.

Football three times a week is fairly active, maybe stop nagging him. His fitness may improve when he’s an adult, a lot of people exercise more as adults than they did as kids.

If he’s your step son, it might be better to let his father and mother deal with it, maybe he is a bit resentful of you

He's doing quite a bit of sport. It sounds like you are quite competitive though. Maybe he doesn't like that. My son will not be pushed into anything he doesn't want to do, he'll dig his heels in. I have to lead him into it by showing him the benefits. Does he get enough time playing with friends outside? That's a great way to get them exercising without them realising it.

Just wondering OP, has he grown a lot lately?

You'll get more success by going softly on him where the activity is more incidental to something else of interest. Some of the things like 5k parkruns sound ambitious for a child of limited motivation (said by a keen runner!)

There are children's 2k parkruns on Sundays if that is a local option, but even that may still be of limited interest especially if he's further back amongst younger children.

Something like geocaching where there is a goal other than the activity may motivate him more.

Michael Moseley's recent documentary suggested that 3x 10 minute bursts of more intense activity were of better use for fitness than lots of low level activity. That approach may be more effective for his attention span. If he's intetested, carry on for as long as the interest lasts, but excessive pushing is counter-productive.