Children Need To Exercise Too

Gone are the days where our children spend all day playing outside. Sadly, the TV and computer have taken that from them … along with their health.

Most American children are spending less time outside and more time sitting. This explains why there is a 25% obesity rate among our kids. This puts them at risk for all the known diseases that come with obesity: diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Never before in history has this been a fact.

So what now?

Our children need to exercise for the same reasons adults do. Not just to maintain a healthy weight, but for better sleep, improved attention span, coordination, flexibility and endurance.

Experts recommend about 1-1/2 to 2 hours of physical activity for school-aged kids, including moderate-intensity activities like swimming, bicycling, outdoor play, jumping rope, and team sports. Younger children should focus on non-competitive sports and gradually move into competitive sports as they get older.

The more active a family is, the better chances their children will be active too. Kids mimic their parents’ behaviors; that’s how they learn. So let’s teach our children about physical activities and the importance of staying healthy.