Helping your Youth Athlete Set Fitness Goals for 2025

Whether you have a sports loving athlete or a child getting started on their fitness journey, setting fitness goals is an important habit for kids because it helps them develop a sense of discipline, build confidence, and cultivate a healthy lifestyle. 

When we help children set specific, measurable, and achievable fitness goals, they gain a clear sense of purpose, which can motivate them to stay active and make healthier choices. For instance, aiming to improve endurance, strength, or flexibility provides a concrete target that children can work toward, making physical activity more engaging and rewarding.

This sense of progress, whether it’s running a little farther each week, lifting a little heavier, holding a plank longer or mastering a new sport or making a club team, boosts their self-esteem and encourages them to take ownership of their health. This return on investment drives them to keep going. 

Fitness goals also teach kids the value of perseverance and patience. Progress may not always be immediate, and kids learn to handle setbacks and keep pushing forward. This builds resilience, which can transfer to other areas of life, including school and relationships. Additionally, setting and achieving fitness goals can promote a sense of well-being by releasing endorphins, which enhance mood and reduce stress, helping kids feel happier and more focused.

At Empower Youth we talk about goals with our athletes. What do they want to learn and achieve? The most frequent response is to lift heavier but that is closely followed by getting a pullup! For some kids the goals seem unattainable so as coaches we have progressions that provide moments of success towards those goals. Each of our classes or personal training are customized to meet the needs of the group or person, so even sometimes daily these mini-goals are met.

How can Empower Youth help your child and their goals? If you have an athlete who is looking to up their game at sport, or a child who is wanting to learn to be more comfortable in their body and feel fitter, then take a look at our January Youth Offerings: Click Empower Youth Programs for more information. You can also reach out directly to Coach Barb with any questions, [email protected]. 

Helping your child establish fitness goals early sets a foundation for a lifetime of healthy habits. 

See you at the gym!

-OG

Have you signed up for the 12 Days of Xmas! 

The morning is filling up and if you have been following us on Instagram our two elves have been demonstrating all the movements. Join us for the fun potluck event and support the Empower Youth Athletic Fund. We are partnered with the Harbourside Youth Foundation.  

Can’t make the event but still want to donate to support economically disadvantaged children you can do a tax deductible donation directly here! DONATE

Thursday Workout

As we recently completed Karen for time, you will all be ready to take on this fun variation. The goal of Thursday’s workout is to complete 150 burpees and 150 wall balls for time. The best part is that there is no specific rep scheme you have to follow. You can break up the reps and switch back and forth between the two movements.

For time:
150 burpees
150 wall-ball shots
Partition the reps as needed to complete the work as quickly as possible.

♀ 14-lb medicine ball to 9 feet
♂ 20-lb medicine ball to 10 feet