Shawn T’s Fit Kids Club

My kids aren't overweight. I do tend to put them in the lazy column and think their diet is offensive, but that is probably true of all children under 12. My girls are eight and eleven.

I haven't been able to get them to workout with me at all. My wife and I have tried getting them to come out to the gym and bring what they can to our P90X or whatever workout we happen to be doing at it always becomes a "look at me goof off" session. We have taken them on many hiking trips and one overnight backpacking trip; a forced march is always a way to burn some calories on a couch cushion aficionado. The one overnight backpacking trip proved that an eight pound pack is too exhausting for the little one after about five miles: add eight pounds to the 54lbs I was already carrying of their and my gear!

After getting to know Shawn T through Insanity, we thought our kids may like him too so we ordered his Fit Kids Club DVD. It comes with two workouts lead by Shawn T and a bunch of rowdy munchkins with an artificially keen sense of fashion. Last night I did the second workout (Groove it Out) with my wife and kids. To me it was 25 minutes of almost warm-up. I looked back and my kids were a little sweaty and actually doing it! Afterwards I had to do some P90X Back and Biceps to feel masculine again; by this time the kids were lifting everything in my gym and then fell into an odd game of tag similar to what kids in my school called smear the queer. That title hardly seems appropriate… I wonder what they call it now… I digress.

My wife tells me the first workout (Cool Moves) was both more technical and more physically demanding. The kids had gotten self-conscious when they started thinking people could see them through the blinds in the living room so they stopped early. When we all did Groove it Out as a family, we took it out to my gym where there are no windows. I think that helped.

If you have kids under 12, I recommend this program to get them into cardio fitness. Beachbody recommends it for 7+ but I think I could suggest this for younger kids. I think once kids hit 12-13, they are probably too cool for everything unless the fitness bug has already bitten them in which case, they are probably doing the harder programs with Uncle Jeffay.

Drop me a line if you are looking or just buy it from my site. I may try Tony Horton's Kid's video next. I am certainly taking them on as many hikes as I can trick them into.