14 DAY TRIAL // As the rate of obesity in children in the US is going up, another trend appears to be picking up: that of children over-training until they develop muscles any athlete would be envious of. CJ Senter is only 10 years old but he’s already a “fitness guru.”
Senter from Georgia has sold thousands of workout DVDs. He says he wants to inspire other children to be more active but, experts say for Nightline ABC, he’s also making them develop premature body-image related issues.
At such a tender age, it’s not exactly normal to want to have the body of Hugh Jackman or Chris Evans – and to want to have it then and now so badly that you actually starts working out more to get it.
Neither it is normal for kids aged 7 to 10 to think and worry about weight loss and dieting, which is exactly what happens when they see CJ Senter.
Given how fit he is, it’s no wonder they’re trying to emulate him. CJ doesn’t eat sweets that much and he never touches junk food because he’s making sure he eats plenty of fruit and veggies.
This in itself wouldn’t be so bad, experts say for the ABC special which you can also see below, embedded at the end of the article.
However, the intense training is because not only can it lead to overuse injuries, but also to body-image related issues at an age when the kids should be more preoccupied about anything else but that.
“What we have nowadays is children playing multiple sports or doing multiple activities. CJ, running track, playing football and working out... that’s overuse set-up, because he’s doing three different things at one time,” Dr. Robert Gotlin, director of the Orthopedic and Sports Program at New York’s Beth Israel Medical Center, says.
CJ, on his part, says that he only wants to stay healthy – and help other kids be the same too.
His parents insist that they’re not pushing him into doing this, adding that they’re not in for the money but also because they want to help out.
“The only thing I push CJ into doing is going to school, making great grades and respecting others and treating them the way that he’d want to be treated,” his father says.
Below is the Nightline special. Watch and make up your own mind on the issue – but do let us know what you think in the comments section below.
