Exercise for children fitness

Regular physical exercise is one of the major parts of a healthy lifestyle. Being physically active is very important in every stage of life. Physical exercise is also important for children as it helps them remain fit and healthy through their childhood and life, builds up muscles and bones, helps in overall growth, development and strength and helps the children manage their weight better.

Children and exercise

However, benefits of physical exercise for children are stretching even further, into the realm of child’s mental health and cognitive performance. Regular physical exercise can, therefore, help the children perform better in school and studies make it easier for them to socialize with other children, improve their self-image and self-esteem, and reduce any kind of anxiousness or tension, if present. Children suffering from attention deficit disorders and hyperactivity can also benefit from physical activity, as long as their parents choose the right type for them. For example, these children will usually have a lot of difficulties in team sports but any individual sport where a child gets a lot of attention from coaches, or martial arts, are a great pick.

Exercise for children fitness

Children are typically active, but general health recommendations for kids are to have at least 3 hours of physical activity, if they are younger than five, and at least an hour of exercise, if they are older. The increasing number of children is obese, and parents should really understand that physical activity helps children with weight loss and lowers their risk of many serious medical problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, as well as sleeping problems.

Daily training for children should always incorporate a set of warm-up activities such as walking, jumping the rope, riding a bike or stretching. The warm up routine is followed by at least 40 minutes of more vigorous exercise. The best way to introduce the child to the world of physical fitness is to incorporate exercise in fun family activities. For example, parents can take a long walk or ride a bike together with their children, or enjoy rollerblading.

Great group activities, suitable for whole family are also baseball, basketball or football. Parents can also build a tree house and encourage a child to climb a tree, but only under the supervision. Another good idea is to have a dog for a pet, and motivate the child to take it for a walk each day. If a child is more eager to participate in fitness training, some classic strength exercises are also a good choice. Some of the best are crunches, leg lifts, sit-ups, knee bends, etc.