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Is Your Child Getting Enough Exercise?

When it comes to children's health, the first problem that comes to mind is the ever-increasing number of overweight children. Many of today's children are not getting proper nutrition, and they are definitely not getting enough exercise. Lack of physical activity in children can have long-lasting health effects, including diabetes and high blood pressure. Making sure your child stays active can help establish exercise patterns and healthy habits for life.

Physical Fitness in Children
A good way to tell if your child is physically fit is to watch them on the playground. There are three main elements to being fit:

• Endurance: The first element of physical fitness for a child is endurance. If a child has endurance, they are able to regularly engage in some kind of aerobic activity.
  
  
• Strength: The second element of physical fitness is strength. A child who has good strength is able to wrestle with playmates, climb on playground equipment and do handstands or cartwheels.
  
  
• Flexibility: The third part of being physically fit is flexibility. Flexibility is when your muscles and joints are able to move easily through their full range of motion. Children get flexibility training each day when they do such things as stretching and bending to pick up toys.

The Benefits of Childhood Exercise
There are many benefits for children when it comes to exercise. When a child is active and physically fit, they develop strong muscles and bones. Children who exercise are also much less likely to be overweight than children who are inactive and are less likely to develop diabetes and high blood pressure.

Children who exercise also sleep better at night. When a child sleeps well, they are better prepared to handle their day-to-day tasks.

Exercises for Children
For kids, exercise means playing and being physically active. In fact, anything that gets your kid's heart pumping at an elevated rate is considered exercise. Keep in mind, however, that the types of exercises that are appropriate for children can be very different from the exercises that are appropriate for adults. Due to the fact that children's bones are still developing, you will want to steer your child clear of weight lifting and distance running, which can impede normal bone growth.

Here's a list of some exercises for children:

• Bike riding: Bike riding is a great way for kids to stay active. Just make sure that your child wears a helmet and stays out of traffic.
  
  
• Dance: Whether it's ballet, tap or jazz, dance is a fun way for kids to get active.
  
  
• Team sports: Team sports, such as soccer, baseball and hockey, will get kids active and teach them the importance of working as a group.
  
  
• Swimming: Most kids love the water, so swimming is a natural childhood exercise. Remember, however, that an adult should always supervise children when they are around water.

Keeping Kids Active
Here are some things you can do to keep your kids off the couch:

• Buy games and toys that promote physical activity.
• Make you child help out with the chores. Dusting, sweeping, washing windows and vacuuming all count as exercise.
• Plan a physical family outing, such as hiking, at least once a week.