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Dear Athletic Support: My son doesn’t play sports. He doesn’t do the band. He’s not a gamer. He literally just sits on his phone all day. He’s fourteen, and this started when he was twelve. That’s when we first got him a phone. I’m sure the pandemic didn’t help. He was out of school, we were all locked in the house, and he just kept playing with his phone more and more. I’m writing to you because I think getting him involved in some sort of after-school athletics program would help. I don’t, however, want it to be football or basketball or baseball. Honestly, I doubt he could make any of those teams. Do you have any recommendations for my son? What are some sports he could join at this stage of adolescence and still be able to compete? Actually, I’m not even all that interested in him competing. I just want him to have fun and get off that stinking phone!
— Cellular Problems
Dear Call: You’re wise not to try and push your son into one of those three main sports. By fourteen, it would be hard for a boy who’s never played football or baseball or basketball to just join up with a team and succeed.
Even if starting or being a “star” weren’t his goals, it would still be tough. It’d be like trying to perform in a piano recital without having ever practiced the piano.
Honestly, there aren’t any “easier” sports. All the different activities take time and effort to master. But if you’re just looking for something for your son to do that will get him off his phone, I would suggest swimming.
There is no greater workout than swimming laps. If your son isn’t a swimmer, he could also try cross-country. Both will provide him with great exercise and a bigger endorphin kick than any smartphone!
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Dear Athletic Support: Do you have any at-home workouts I can do with my middle-school daughter over the Christmas Break? Her basketball coach isn’t holding any practices, which I’m thankful for, but I’d still like for her to stay in shape. I wouldn’t mind burning a few calories either.
— Eggnog
Dear Eggnog: Jogging is a low-impact activity you and your daughter should be able to do over the break. Distance doesn’t really matter as much as time. Try and run for thirty straight minutes without stopping and see how that feels. You can adjust from there.
If the weather isn’t great for jogging, or you don’t have anywhere to jog around your house, then body-weight squats, yoga stretches, pushups, pullups, and sit-ups are always great.
Again, aim for a thirty-minute workout. That’s the key. You want your heart pumping for a solid half hour. If you can do that for five days a week over the break, you — and your daughter— will be doing just fine.
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