About a third of a mile from my house lies a park.
In it are a couple of football pitches, a handsomely equipped play area, aerial runway, and even a set of robust pullup and dip bars.
Yet, more often than not, the place is utterly deserted bar the occasional dog walker.
Just as it was last bank holiday Monday when I took my three kids there at about half eight in the morning so Jess could get on with some work undisturbed. Which got me thinking about what all of the other kids in the local area were getting up to while mine ran, jumped, and climbed in the fresh air and sunshine.
Alas, I suspect most were ensnared by the baleful glow of a smartphone, getting their brains rotted by TikTok and being exposed to all sorts of predators via messaging apps while their parents lounged about in soiled pyjamas because “it’s the bank holiday” and they “deserve a rest”.
I’m not dunking on the poor here, just to be clear.
This phenomenon occurs regularly irrespective of income, social class, etc.
In fact, middle-class professional types tend to be the most likely to outsource their parental responsibilities to a smartphone, despite having the time and resources to play a full and active part in their childrens’ development – if only they could be bothered.
But they cannot be bothered on the whole.
Worse, a fair number of them lash out in a jealous rage whenever I raise this point, because apparently it is the lazy and feckless parents, not their children who they are setting up for a life plagued by physical and mental disability, who are the true victims.
To twist the words Mrs Lovejoy of The Simpsons fame:
“Oh, won’t somebody *please* think of the parents!”
Whatever.
All I know is that my progeny will grow up to be fit, healthy, and strong because I am showing (not merely telling) them what a balanced, sustainable approach to exercise looks like.
One fruit of this is that Connie is now doing a little workout of her own creation in the front garden every weekday morning and Marcus joins in as best as his two-year-old form will allow. (Believe it or not, she asked to do this – neither Jess nor I suggested it to her in any way.)
Obviously what I’ve just written is aimed at parents, but even those who are not (and don’t want to be) should be able to read between the lines well enough to see the importance of leading by example on the fitness front if you’re the least bit interested in helping those you care about get into training for their own good.
Something that will make that easier by an order of magnitude is the training system described in June’s issue of “The Phil Tyreman Letter” because it can be done at or close to home with the absolute bare minimum of equipment (literally a pullup bar and, if you’re feeling adventurous, a weighted vest).
More:
Even those who have been training for a long time and have achieved some respectable feats would likely do well to give it a spin to plug gaps in “General Physical Preparedness” that so often lead to avoidable injury and all the stress and hassle that comes with it.
The deadline to subscribe in time to get the June issue looms large. 23:59 tonight (31st) to be precise.
This is a real deadline, meaning if you subscribe at 00:00 tomorrow or later, you won’t get June’s issue.
So if you are interested, make haste to the below page and subscribe if you like what you read:
https://philtyreman.co.uk/information/
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman