Struggling with Your Kids in Lockdown?

26th January 2021

The past few months have been incredibly challenging for so many of us. Navigating changes to our working lives, possibly dealing with the loss of loved ones, and managing home-learning for our kids has meant innumerable changes to our lives – add in hot flushes, no sleep and inextinguishable rage, for those of us or are (peri) menopausal, and it is no wonder we are struggling to cope during lockdown! But we are, or at least we have to.

So, as reality hits, it’s time to take back control of the things we can and find a way through 2021. Having the kids at home has not only meant big changes for parents across the UK but also for the kids. Lacking engagement, exercise and socialising (not online) has meant kids are bored – and what does that mean for us? Hint: It is not good.

Remember the days when we would feel the tug of our hearts as we dropped them into nursery and count the hours till they were home? Well, that novelty has most certainly worn off. Finding 5 minutes to futilely fan away a hot flush or have some alone time feels long gone, let alone a few hours.

So, what is the solution?

It has been well noted that regular exercise can have an incredible effect both on the body and the mind – and that’s not just for adults. Exercise for kids can improve cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and mental health while also promoting better concentration and motivation.

Exercise is a great way to help let out some of that energy and build a strong body, and Pilates is a great way for kids (and adults) to build their strength, develop better co-ordination and maintain overall well-being. We offer online classes for younger family members as well as the adults, details are below.

A single online Pilates class every week can give you some precious time to yourself and it is guilt-free as your child is doing some exercise! Of course, we would love you to use Balanced Bodies as well, but we’d urge you to get your children moving and stay strong and strengthen their immune system with some regular coordinated movement. There are lots of online classes available and we would suggest that you find out what your child would prefer, so they look forward to it. Exercise should be fun to do!

Pilates is not the only benefit of using Balanced Bodies – Joanna is a qualified Rehabilitation Therapist and has a lot of experience with injury rehabilitation. Whilst she works with injured patients, she knows that prevention is much better than cure.

“When exercising you have to take care with correct alignment, the right movements and ensuring you are not over-exercising and stressing your body”.

There can also be many barriers to exercise though, that are not lockdown-related, and we often see children who have an injury, and their parents don’t know which way to turn, and may even restrict exercise to prevent further injury.

So, what happens when your child has an injury?

A Brief Case Study

Working with young people can be incredibly challenging but also hugely rewarding. At a time when their bodies are rapidly changing and they are still learning to communicate their needs, it can be hard for young people to turn up to an injury rehab clinic and let a stranger prod at them – especially one all wrapped up in PPE.

Which is why when O arrived at the clinic with mum in tow, we made the point of stepping outside to have a socially distanced meeting before returning inside to don PPE before they came in. This simple step, with Therapist, Joanna kneeling to eye level, immediately helped O feel more at ease. In turn, the clinic was made to feel warm and welcoming using fairy lights and soft lighting.

O had a case of Plantar Fasciitis and was unable to do much more than hobble around, so mum wanted O to have some additional support. Being in so much pain meant that O was unable to play the sports they were passionate about, and as a 10-year-old this was a BIG THING.

Whilst O and Joanna got to know one another, mum was able to relax and enjoy the proceedings. The session focused on a chat with O about how their foot came to be injured and included a physical assessment to check their gait, muscle strength and length, and careful palpations to confirm that it was indeed Plantar Fasciitis.

Joanna took the time to explain the anatomy to a very curious O and used Jorge the anatomical skeleton to help O understand what was happening and why their foot was hurting them. Initially, O went home with mobility and stretching work that within a week had made a difference to the pain in their foot.

Being very keen to return to running, O was incredibly diligent about practicing their “homework”. Following this, O was assessed for balance, control, and coordination to ensure that they were ready for more structured exercise.

Being 10 years old it was important to assess O as able to safely exercise, so over a few weeks, Joanna undertook several check-ins to see how O was progressing. As O was at a development stage, they were still gaining control of their body, so Joanna was careful to keep these exercises simple and body weight only.

In tandem with the home strengthening programme, O was given lots of fun activities that challenged their balance control and coordination. A few months later and O is now back to running pain-free. Given that Plantar Fasciitis can take upwards of 18 months to recover from, O and their family are ecstatic about O’s progress.

“Right from the start, every effort was made to help O feel at home. Joanna has been so careful to explain the process at each stage, provide a road map for what we are working towards and helped O to remain focused.

O is now pain free day to day and is learning how to safely strengthen their body so that they can return to their sports and keep the Plantar Fasciitis firmly in the past. Would highly recommend Balanced Bodies to anyone when it comes to supporting the rehabilitation of an injury!”

Whether your child is nursing an injury and you need to visit the clinic with them, or you just want to book them into an online Pilates class and grab a few precious minutes of “me time”, get in touch and we can discuss the best plan for your young ones. Take a break for a while and let us tire your little, and not-so-little ones out for you. It is a win-win for you and your children!

Kids Pilates Classes

If you do want to help your child benefit from exercise without risking injury (and have half an hour to yourself) then here’s how you can take advantage of our online Pilates classes.

We will be running these Virtual Pilates classes for the following age groups:

  • Monday 4pm – 4:45pm – Juniors
  • Thursday 4pm – 4:30pm – Infants
  • Friday 5pm – 5:45pm – Teens
  • Saturday 8am – 8.30am – Parent & Infants
  • Saturday 9am – 9.45am – Parents & Juniors

Our February 2021 Classes Timetable looks like this:

Balanced Bodies class timetable Feb 21

If you are not sure if this is right for you or your kids, then just give us a ring! We offer a free 20-minute consultation to those who would like to discuss potential rehabilitation or treatments with us. Alternatively, if you just have a quick question you can DM us on our social channels

If you would like to start your own journey to better physical and mental health, we also offer virtual Pilates Classes for adults too. You can browse our array of classes here and call us to book!