Every year when school starts, I like to review children's fitness. As a parent, you may have wondered if your child is fit enough to participate in youth sports. Coming off a summer of swimming, hiking and general outdoor activity, most of our kids are fairly fit. With school starting, so does many school sports activities. Does an active summer mean your kids are ready for competitive school sports or even their first P.E. class?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and here are its fitness recommendations for children and adolescents from ages 6 to 17:

A total of 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity was recommended. The guidelines state that the activity should either consist of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity and should include vigorous-intensity physical or strength-building activity at least three days per week.

For younger children, strength-building activity may include using playground equipment, climbing or playing jump rope for example.

For tweens, examples of this type of activity include lifting relatively heavy objects or using body weight for resistance such as with push-ups or gymnastics. For older teens, weight training, interval training and other more aggressive types of workout regimens are recommended.

Note that whether you're young or old, it is always a good idea to have annual health check-ups or physicals so your doctor can advise you of any concerns he or she may have regarding your physical condition. Most schools require a youth physical before the child can start their first practice.

As a parent of a precocious and super active child, I always worry how much and what type of exercise best fits my son's age and physiological needs.

The first area of concern was "Can a child run too much and damage joints, growth plates, etc?" The simple answer is no. A number of studies have been done and the reports conclude there is no present data, nor scientific evidence that supports that children who run excessively are damaging key ligaments, cartilage or growth plates. Your child is the best gauge for what he or she can do. Their bodies tend to shut down long before they wear out their pieces and parts.

The second area of concern, and this one tends to have a lot of controversy around it, is strength training and/or weightlifting. Many parents have heard that strength training is detrimental to bone development in children and believe that it is an inappropriate and/or unsafe activity for their child. However, in a number of studies, it has been shown that strength training enhances bone development. In one such 10-month study with 9- to 10-year-old girls, those who did strength and aerobic exercise increased their bone mineral density by 6.2 percent, compared to 1.4 percent for those who did not strength train.

It does make sense that if strength training is safe and effective for the frail elderly, you would think it would be pretty healthy for young people who have full joint movement and an abundance of energy.

I have been working with my son on his swim, bike and run development as he prepares for his youth races and his first triathlon, which he will be doing this morning at the Kootenai Health Triathlon for kids. Here are some effective methods that I have found to work with my son:

* Consistency - Set a schedule and hold your child to it. They will have many reasons not to exercise, but once they start, it is amazing how quickly they start to enjoy the activity. Set goals that can be reached easily then slowly make them more difficult.

* Frequency - Do enough training and exercising to truly have an impact on their fitness level. Get some form of activity in every day. Turn off the TV and the 360 long enough to get at least one hour of strenuous fitness into their day.

* Progression - Set milestones and then celebrate the solid results as your child hits them. Encourage and reward your child for their results as they achieve their goals. Pretty soon, your child will be helping YOU get up and hit a few goals of your own. Celebrating success becomes contagious.

* Technique - Work with your child to ensure all activity is done correctly. An example would be proper posture which facilitates correct breathing and exercise performance. Working with your child on safe and correct ways to exercise will avoid sprains, strains and the inevitable ouch that comes with healthy activity.

As with any sport or exercise activity, moderation and common sense is the key to great results. Don't push your child too hard or let them exceed their limits. The net result will be a happy and healthy child.

Judd Jones is a director for the Hagadone Corporation.