KIDS AND EXERCISE

When most adults think about exercising, they picture themselves training in a gym, running on the treadmill, or lifting weights in the bodybuilding room.

But for kids, exercising means playing and being physically active. Children exercise in school gymnastics classes, at recess, in dance classes or in football training, when riding a bicycle or when playing hide and seek.

The Many Advantages of Exercise

Everyone can benefit from regular exercise. Children who are active will have:

• the strongest bones and muscles

• less likely to be overweight

• less likely to develop type 2 diabetes

• lower blood pressure and cholesterol

• a more positive attitude to life.

Aside from enjoying the benefits of regular exercise over health, kids who are fit sleep better. They are also better able to cope with physical and emotional challenges, from running so the bus won’t get away to studying for an exam.

The three elements of being fit

If you have ever observed a group of children playing in a park, you will have seen the three elements of being physically fit in action when:

1. escape from the one who pursues them in the hiding place (resistance)

2. move around the metal bars hanging from the arms (force)

3. bend to tie shoes (flexibility)

Parents should encourage their children to practice a variety of activities so that they can work on these three elements.

Resistance develops when a child is regularly involved in aerobic activities. During aerobic exercise, the larger muscles move, the heart pumps faster, and breathing more intensely. Aerobic activity strengthens the heart and improves the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to all of its cells.

Aerobic exercise can be a lot of fun for both adults and children. Here are some examples of aerobic activities:

• basketball

• cycling

• ice skating

• inline skating

• football

• swimming

• tennis

• walk

• jog

• run

Developing strength doesn’t necessarily mean lifting weights. Instead, children can do push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and other exercises that help tone and strengthen muscles. Children also improve strength when climbing, standing, or fighting.

Stretching helps improve flexibility, allowing muscles and joints to flex and move easily, covering the entire range of movements. Children have opportunities to do stretching every day, when they try to reach toys, spread their legs, or do side flips.

The problem of sedentary lifestyle

Children and teens spend much more time sitting than before. They spend hours every day in front of screens (TVs, smartphones, tablets and other devices) consuming a variety of media (television programs, videos, movies, games). This excess time in front of screens along with insufficient time for physical activity adds to the problem of childhood obesity.

One of the best ways to encourage physical activity in children is to limit the amount of time they spend on sedentary activities, especially watching television or using other types of screens. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) gives parents the following recommendations:

• Set limits to the time your children spend using different media, including television, social media, and video games. The media should not take hours of sleep or activity away from any child.

• Limit the time your children spend 2 to 5 years in front of screens to 1 hour or less per day.

• Discourage your children under 18 months from using any type of screen, except for video chat.

• Choose high-quality programs and watch them with your children to help them understand what they’re watching.

• Keep TVs, computers, and video games out of your children’s rooms.

• Turn off the screens during meal times.

How much exercise is enough?

Parents should make sure their children get enough exercise. But how much is enough? Children and teens should do 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous exercise each day.

Children between 1 and 5 years old must play actively several times a day. Children between 1 and 3 years of age must play actively 60 minutes per day and those between 3 and 5 years 120 minutes. This time should include planned adult-led activities and unstructured games.

Young children should not be inactive for long periods of time (no more than one hour), except when they sleep. And, at school, children should not be inactive for periods longer than 2 hours.

Educating children to be fit

Combining regular physical activity with a healthy diet is the key to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some tips for educating your child in good shape:

Help your child participate in a variety of activities that are age-appropriate.

Set a regular schedule for physical activity.

Incorporate the activity into your daily routines, such as climbing stairs instead of using the elevator.

Adopt a healthy lifestyle, too, and you will set a positive example for the rest of your family.

Stay active as a family.

Make it fun and your child will ask for more.

Gavin, M. [2018] Children and Exercise. KidsHealth. Recovered from: https://kidshealth.org/es/parents/exercise-esp.html?WT.ac=p-ra#catsports-psychology