Why is Exercise Important for Children
Why is exercise important for anyone, really? And why specifically children? Let's go in the reverse order for this one, stay with me here. Why children? OK answer this - don't we teach kids manners and inculcate values while they are young? We do it so that it'll become a part of their personalities and they can lead a better life. Then why don't we do the same with exercising? Wouldn't that make it an integral part of their lives and continue to benefit them throughout their adult lives as well? And now that the seed has been planted in your mind, I'll move onto the more important part - why is exercise important for children. The following article will take you through the importance of fitness for kids and also give you some key fitness tricks that you can use.
Why is Physical Activity Important for Children
Health is Wealth
While the adage might seem really run down and clichd, there is nothing that can say it better. If a person is not healthy, there really is no fun in life. At the risk of sounding philosophical here - what's the point of having all those riches etc. if you can't even enjoy them? And what will ensure that you're fit enough to enjoy things? Exercises! Here are some of the advantages of exercising.
- It increases the circulation of the blood throughout the body thus allowing all the organs to breathe and become more efficient. Efficient organs means a healthier, more fitter body.
- It increases the strength of the immune system by making a person less prone to minor injuries and infections.
- The digestive health improves drastically. This happens because the blood gushes to the intestines and stomach and therefore, not only the digestive health, but also the metabolism increases. Both of these are important in the growing age.
- It improves the appetite, which then makes the children want to eat. Eating balanced meals will therefore prevent any forms of deficiencies from making way.
- One key reason for why exercising is essential is that it flushes out all the toxins from the body and therefore keeps skin disorders like acne at bay.
- It keeps obesity at bay as well. Look around, and you'll find that today's society is afflicted with really bad lifestyle choices like unhealthy diets and irregular sleeping patterns. This not only leads to an increase in diseases and ailments, but also leads to obesity. Exercising ensures that the body fat is kept in check and there is no fat added to the body. Obesity gives rise to a whole set of other problems. All of which are eradicated once you keep lean and fit.
- It maintains great heart health and thereby keeps ailments and disorders like heart attacks, diabetes and changing blood pressure levels, along with other ailments away.
- It builds muscles and makes bones stronger.
- Not only do exercises help in physical health but there are also several psychological benefits of exercising. These come about because they release hormones that lead to a healthy mind and therefore there is overall growth and health achieved.
It's quite the fortunate thing that kids do not have to limit their exercising to gyms and specialized classes. There are several activities that would categorically fall in the 'playing' section and would give the kids all the exercise that they need. Here are some exercises that your kids should take up. Encourage them to participate in all these exercise forms.
- Play! Any games which include physical activity are great for your kids. Take them to the park and let them play different physical games like tags or use the swings, climbing trees and the like.
- Let them join a sports activity in their school - like basketball, swimming or athletics.
- Alternately you could enroll them for a defense art like a martial arts class. Even a dance class will lead to the same physical activity and help ensure fitness.
- Buy them a cycle and get them to cycle to school or extra curricular classes.
- Whenever possible, get them to walk so that it becomes a habit and does not seem like a task.
