Parent and Baby

Let your children run and play for health. It is a known statistical fact that children these days don’t spend as much time exercising like they used to. Surveys show that children watch an average of three hours watching TV each day and spend five and a half hours on media as a whole. Outdoor activities have to compete with video consoles, game boys and the personal computers. Seeing as children don’t spend as much time on rigorous activities, many are more likely to grow up obese or develop type 2 diabetes. Young people have rarely been diagnosed with this disease but it has been found in children as young as 12 years old.

What children learn at an earlier age will likely carry forward through their adolescent years and to adulthood. They will stay healthy longer, having acquired the necessary knowledge earlier in life. Other benefits of exercise which is interchangeable with play for children age 6 and below include healthier muscles and bones, less likely to be overweight due to muscle mass and efficient body and built and less likely to develop diseases like type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure due to good blood circulation.

Exercise also builds a child’s confidence in both his abilities and in his physiology. Whether it’s climbing the monkey bars, being able to bend over and tie his shoelaces or chasing his peers, every movement activity contributes to a happier and healthier child.

In conjunction with exercise, the element of nutrition contributes to overall health. This delicate balancing act includes the consumption of more vegetables, whole wheat grains or brown rice and fruits. Children must follow an adult’s food pyramid, with carbohydrates taken in the highest amounts. High sugar diets can lead to hyperactivity while caffeine can stunt growth. Thus, intake of sodas, powdered juice drinks, fruit juices in TetraPak, which are high in sugar content and powdered iced tea and sodas, which are high in caffeine should be kept to a bare minimum, if not completely stricken out of children’s daily diet. Breakfast creals, pancakes, muffins and doughnuts are high in sugar content too. though children need as much as 3 to 6 ounces of carbohydrates a day, the hidden fat and sugar usually included in the carbohydrates they consume contribute to calories that converts to excess weight.

So, exactly how much exercise is enough? There are developmental milestones that parents should know and expect, especially from children below 6 years old. Also children at this age and stage typically seek play. Parents are responsible for stimulating children and giving them all the opportunities to play. Adopt a healthy lifestyle and your kids will take after you. Incorporate physical activities into your daily routines by walking them to school or dropping them off a few minutes away from their destination and walking with them. When entering a building, take the stairs if your destination is a mere one to two floors up or down.

Let your children play with you, their siblings and with other children their age. A visit to a playground or park or having a schools mate come over to your house will provide them with enough opportunities to run around and frolic in the sun. Allow them to play sports, bike or play tag. Build a schedule for their physical activities, if possible enroll them in a sport. In addition to honing them physically, sports will allow them to meet new friends and learn about discipline.