Are Kids Exercising Enough?

The lack of exercise from kids has been an ongoing problem for decades. While that sounds depressing, it’s a known fact. Obesity is more common between 6year-olds and 19-year-olds. It’s a huge bracket of kids that need to be sought action immediately. But how come it’s hard for parents to diminish that bracket?

When asking parents what the hardest part about keeping their kids active is, they usually say coming up with exercises to keep them moving. While taking kids to the playground can do a lot of the job, it sometimes isn’t enough Kids can cap out at any time, but thankfully there are techniques available to enhance their persistence to exercise and keep them active enough to receive their daily health benefits.

There are three components to children’s fitness: endurance, strength, and flexibility Improving their endurance helps strengthen their heart and opens more airways, allowing their cells to absorb more oxygen, while also amplifying their strength to toughen their bones. Finally, boosting their flexibility betters their joints and muscles Coming up with ways to have them achieve all three components does not have to be hard It can be as simple as playing tag or going for a bike ride!

What’s important is taking each exercise routine step by step If your children don t like to exercise, they can start going out 15 minutes a day, then 30 minutes, and then eventually an hour. This will build their stamina as it can later be a part of their daily habit

It is also heavily important for parents to instigate helpful ways to have their kids exercise early in their development. The sooner parents work on preventing obesity, reducing risks of high blood pressure and heart disease, and lowering chances of diabetes, the better the chances their kids will have at avoiding them in the future Having children start young builds their persistence and cultivates long-lasting healthy exercise habits. It is up to parents to come up with diverse ways to make sure their kids get the full exercise they need. Not only will their children benefit physically, but also mentally Exercising helps prevent depression, reduces anxiety, and teaches them a healthy way to cope with stress as they grow older

A huge and abiding problem is that many kids are allowed excessive screen time Whether it be playing video games or watching television for hours every day, immoderate screen time can lead to weight gain and mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression The reason why parents can’t form methods of exercise can be that they work too much and don’t have the capacity to apply ways to exercise throughout the day, or that developing ways to exercise is too hard. The more time kids spend on a screen, the more time they could have spent being outside or doing some form of exercise While exercise can stimulate children s brains and keep them active until they are tired enough to fall asleep easily, screen time has proven that they will want to stay up all night because of it, and if they spend all day accessing screen time, it will be harder for them to fall asleep at night

Children as young as two years old already have access to their own phones The more they are on their screens, the less they pay attention to the world around them, especially if they are outside on their phones or iPads. They won’t be able to have enough social awareness and not know how to engage with others They are also less likely to pay attention to what’s in front of them, especially if they are in school Now, don’t think screen time is always bad If implemented right, then there shouldn’t be any problems with their development. This might mean watching educational videos or shows that can teach them life lessons that can fortify their brain With many schools wanting to shorten recess time and give kids access to play outside, parents need to apply more ways for them to exercise more than ever.

Children as young as two years old already have access to their own phones The more they are on their screens, the less they pay attention to the world around them, especially if they are outside on their phones or iPads They won’t be able to have enough social awareness and not know how to engage with others They are also less likely to pay attention to what s in front of them, especially if they are in school. Now, don’t think screen time is always bad. If implemented right, then there shouldn’t be any problems with their development This might mean watching educational videos or shows that can teach them life lessons that can fortify their brain With many schools wanting to shorten recess time and give kids access to play outside, parents need to apply more ways for them to exercise more than ever If the chance of resistance happens from a child where they refuse to exercise, putting them in specific social settings can help Like taking them to a zoo, the mall, or having friends over since that’s when kids can feel most comfortable exerting themselves

Keeping up healthy patterns with a daily schedule will help your kids develop committed habits to better themselves Every day can be different with a wide variety of ways to keep them active. They don t have to just be taken to a park, but they can be taught how to play sports, such as basketball, soccer, football, or baseball They can be taken to a water park or a pool so they can swim to improve endurance and build their strength. Skating improves the heart and strengthens the muscles. Biking minimizes blood fat levels and toughens heart muscles Hiking reduces the chances of high blood pressure and heart disease

Steering kids in the right direction so they don t have to think about exercise is a great technique. If being taught a sport or another skill, they are more likely to practice that skill consistently, which will benefit them in the long run They can play tag, play a game of catch, play hopscotch, shoot hoops, fly a kite, race dashes, go scavenger hunting, jump roping, freeze dance, musical chairs, playing “duck, duck, goose,” bowling, walking the dog, or start gardening Redirecting them can prevent them from being frustrated and give them reasons to want to exercise. Keeping them interested in different activities will make them want to come back for more Parents can help them see exercise as something good instead of something that is dragging them down

Exercise isn’t the only way to keep kids healthy. Keeping them healthy all-around is what will help them live longer and be less prone to health problems For example, kids five to eight years old should eat a good balanced diet every day with ¾ cup of vegetables and fruits, one ounce of grains, one cup of dairy, and two ounces of protein. The struggle with getting kids to eat vegetables and fruits is very common but making kid-friendly recipes that taste palatable can help them want to eat these foods Setting a daily schedule to have them exercise at a certain time and also scheduling what they should eat will create a long-lasting habit What also helps is establishing exercise into their daily lives The earlier you can instill a schedule to help them now, the better their lives will be in the long run

For instance, biking to places instead of driving them, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or even walking the dog around the neighborhood This is a calmer approach and makes them more likely to seek out these activities when they get older What helps is having your kids test out different activities and seeing which appeal to them. Observe them on the playground so you can incorporate their favorite activities at home You can also have the whole family join in on the activities, so your kids can see it is just as fun as the family makes it out to be Planning exercises can be stressful, so not putting too much pressure on your kids can help how they view exercising later Keeping the activities fun can also make them want to turn it more into a friendly competition and inspire them to work out

Katherine Hoang