CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Gym class has moved online – like so many subjects – for students doing e-learning. Some parents are bringing outside help to get their kids moving.
PE teachers can’t know if students are doing workouts since they can’t force them to turn on their webcams.
Christian Koshaba has clients between 12- and 18-years old at his Arlington Heights gym, Three60fit.
In the beginning of their personal training, Koshaba said some kids had gotten a little sedentary.
“Some of the kids are really antsy and just want to get going. The other kids I think they have just fallen in such a negative rhythm that it is kind of shocking their body back into it,” he said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been hosting small group workouts, utilizing outdoor space, and installing an aerosol cleaner.
While some think such workouts are a luxury, Naperville personal trainer Jepharya Badie wants parents to consider what exercise does for the emotional wellbeing of students during anxious times like this.
“I can’t help but stress the impact of physical fitness on the wellness and health of our youth, and also the mental aspect, the mental benefits that they critically need,” she said.
Not having peer pressure from classmates can remove motivation and accountability for working out, Badie said.
But she said working out one-on-one can help shy kids develop self-confidence.
“The parents just want to increase the mobility of that student, to have an opportunity where their confidence is built without being in a pressurized situation,” Badie said.
Both talk of the need to get kids off screens and moving their bodies.
Koshaba said with most extra-curricular activities cancelled and learning done at home, students have more time for working out.