Parents Turn to Personal Trainers to Help Kids Fight Childhood Obesity

Big mistake. Plus, the featured trainer is an idiot.

With childhood obesity on the rise, parents are looking for new ways to keep their kids active. Now, more kids are getting some one-on-one fitness time from personal trainers to get in shape and get their weight under control.
CBS News correspondent Terrell Brown reported Dyson Dunkle is only 10 years old, but he's already working with a personal trainer.

Dyson said, "I'm slightly overweight, and I want to ... get more active."

With childhood obesity skyrocketing, Dyson is part of a growing trend. Parents are paying as much as $75 an hour for personal training sessions. Some children as young as 3 are getting trainers, Brown said.

Dyson is 5 feet 3 inches tall and already 160 pounds. That prompted his father to get help.

David Birnbaum, Dyson's father, told CBS News, "it's just not healthy for a kid to have that kind of weight at his age, even though he is tall."

Brown noted keeping the weight off early also has its benefits down the road, reducing the risk of adult diabetes and heart disease.

But doctors stress children need to be careful about their exercise routine.

It's not all about lifting heavy weights.

Mike Shaw, of New York Personal Training, says kids' bones and tendons aren't fully developed enough to handle too much weight.

For Dyson, Jumping Jacks, pushups, and sit ups are a big part of his workout.

So here is the question:

What is tougher on joints and tendons - Jumping Jacks or weight training?

I submit that Jumping Jacks are harder.

The physics is complex; however, the impulse/impact forces are almost certainly greater when over 150 pounds of kid collides with the earth.

For example, running is estimated to place 3-4 x the body weight with each impact. At 160 pounds, that is between 480 and 640 pounds.

Controlled motion of resistance is almost certain to cause less impact.

In addition, "exercise" is a terribly inefficient way to control weight.

And you have to be an idiot to "need" a trainer to keep your kids from shoving food down their pieholes.

As well as a child-abusing parent for letting your kid get so fat.