Exercise and overall fitness is vitally important for our children today. Exercise if good the body by strengthening the mind, lungs, and the heart resulting in better cognitive ability, increased energy, and better endurance. It also develops strong muscles and bones which will help in staying strong a help prevent bone fractures or breaks. Staying fit helps manage weight, fights against disease such as diabetes and certain types of cancer, and builds the immune system.1
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| Image from wikimedia.com photo taken by Derek Jensen |
During the weekdays, children attend school where they participate in regular physical activity mandated by the government and provided by their physical education teachers or their coaches if they are involved in any type of school related sports.2 However, a national survey done by the YMCA’s Family Health Snapshot in 2011 found that 74 percent of children ages 5 to 10 still do not receive the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day.3 The YMCA’s Family Health Snapshot surveyed 1,600 families with children between the ages of 5 and 10 and found that almost three quarters of these parents send much of their family time sitting with their children in front of the television.2 The study also found that more than half of this age group spend less than four days a week paying outside.3
So, what can be done as parents do to help our children’s wellness? Several options are available such as getting the children in a boys and girls club after school or getting them involved in after school sports or city league intramurals. If weekdays are not an option then design physical activities on the weekend that could be dual purposed at physical activity and family bonding time.
Sources
1How Exercise Benefits Your Whole Body (2014). webMD. Retrieved September 12, 2015 from
2Texas Essential Knowledge of Skills for Physical Education (2015). TEA. Retrieved September 12, 2015 from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter116/
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