Recommended daily exercise for children

Frighteningly enough, a survey conducted between 2007 and 2008 showed that about 17 percent of US children aging from 2 to 19 are obese. Moreover, an even larger number of children were found to have an increased body mass index, being classified as overweight. This grim image of those who should be young, strong and physically fit stems from the fact that today's children rarely indulge into physical exercise and mostly spend their time in front of a computer, leading sedentary lives. However, exercising regularly is the key for health and proper cardiovascular function. Also, exercising prevents countless diseases and improves the life of an individual significantly.

Healthy Exercise Routine

Basically, your child should expose him/herself to exercising for about 60 minutes every day, combining various activities. Even though less exercise will be enough too, this is considered to be optimal for the health of a child. So, the following exercises will encompass aerobic, muscular and skeletal systems of your child.

The Exercising Routine

First of all, the emphasis of your child's exercise routine should be on the aerobic physical activity. These kinds of activities focus on exercising which follows a certain rhythm such as walking, running, swimming, jogging, cycling etc. Thus, three times a week is a minimum frequency of these exercises. Start mildly and increase the intensity as your child develops his/her stamina, endurance and strength.

Secondly, a part of 60 minutes of daily activities should be reserved for strengthening one's muscles. Here, you will need to perform some activities which involve pushing or pulling objects against gravity. Push-ups, pull-ups, weight lifting, climbing trees or playing tug-of-war with other children from the neighborhood are all recommended alternatives. As far as weight exercises are concerned, this mode is recommended for older children and should be practiced with 12 repetitions for each type of exercise.

As for making your child's bones stronger, you need to recommend him/her exercises such as rope skipping, tennis, hopscotch and basketball. Three days a week is a recommended frequency for such activities, so make sure you incorporate it into the healthy 60 minutes a day.

Finally, you will not want to torture your child. Rather, you will want an exercise plan he/she will enjoy and look forward to. Also, teach your child about the importance of proper hydration and make sure he/she carries a bottle of water with him/her during each physical activity.

All in all, 60 minutes of moderate physical activity are officially recommended to be practiced daily. Thus, allow your child to enter this healthy world of exercising, reaping benefits by staying healthy, strong and fit.