Fitness - Benefits of Exercise for Children

For children, exercise means playing and being physically active, such as during gym class at school, soccer practice or dance lessons. Everyone can benefit from regular exercise. A child who is active will:

• Feel less stressed
  
  
• Feel better about themselves
  
  
• Be more attentive in school
  
  
• Keep a healthy weight
  
  
• Build and keep healthy bones, muscles and joints
  
  
• Sleep better at night

In addition, regular exercise helps kids handle the physical and emotional challenges that a typical day presents whether that means running to catch a bus, bending down to tie a shoe, or studying for a test.

Parents should encourage their kids to do a variety of activities so that they can work on the three elements of fitness, being: (1) endurance, (2) strength and (3) flexibility.

Endurance

Endurance is developed when someone regularly engages in aerobic activity. During aerobic exercise, the heart beats faster and a person breathes harder. When done regularly and for continuous periods of time, aerobic activity strengthens the heart and improves the body's ability to deliver oxygen to all its cells. Examples of aerobic activity include: basketball, bicycling, soccer, swimming and running. In kid language, endurance is like "running away from the kid that's 'it' during a game of tag."

Strength

Improving strength doesn't have to mean lifting weights. Push ups, stomach crunches, pull ups, and other exercises help tone and strengthen muscles. Children also incorporate strength activities in their play when they climb, do a handstand, or wrestle. In kid language, strength is what is needed to "cross the monkey bars."

Stretching

Stretching exercises help improve flexibility, allowing muscles and joints to bend and move easily through their full range of motion. Kids find opportunities every day to stretch when they try to get a toy just out of reach, practice a split, or flip over the couch. In kid language, flexibility is what is necessary for "bending down to tie your shoes."

Thirty to sixty minutes of exercise each day is enough to strengthen bones and muscles and prevent children from gaining too much weight. Parents can set a good example by being active themselves. Exercising together can be fun for everyone. Competitive sports can help kids stay physically active. Walking or biking to school, bowling, dancing and swimming are other fun ways for kids to get exercise.

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com. At MyGuidesUSA.com (http://www.myguidesusa.com), you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life's major events. Whether you're planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you'll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com.

Find tips and resources on exercise and fitness programs, exercising with health conditions, children's fitness, and more at http://fitnessandexercise.myguidesusa.com

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3 Reasons for Skyrocketing Child Obesity

A few short years ago child obesity was a rare thing but today it is all too common around the world and especially in the United States, which now has one of the highest rates of child obesity of any country in the world. There are of many reasons for this problem, but here are the three main causes:

1. A lack of exercise. When I think back to my own childhood it was common for kids to spend most of their free time out of the house running around all over the neighborhood with their friend on their bikes or skateboards or playing games like basketball and football. We rarely spent any time sitting around at home and it was a case of getting home from school, dropping off your schoolbag, grabbing a quick glass of milk and perhaps a cookie and then heading out to play.

Today however we have seen two major changes when it comes to the level of activity of our children. The first is that we have become extremely protective of our children and restrict where they can go to keep them away from danger and what they can do to prevent them from getting hurt. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is something which we can argue in its own right but, as far as we are concerned here, there is no doubt that this has resulted in a dramatic drop in the level of physical activity of your children. The second major change has been the arrival of such things as home computers and video games which have turned a whole generation of kids into couch potatoes.

2. The availability of junk food. Hate it or love it junk food in the form of such things as hamburgers, pizzas, ice cream and potato chips are everywhere today and, while we used to eat such things as an occasional 'treat', these foods have now become the staple diet for many children. When I was a kid my mom used to send me off to school with a healthy packed lunch of perhaps a sandwich on whole wheat bread and an apple or orange, but today kids are given money to buy lunch in the school cafeteria and more often than not choose something like pizza and french fries.

Junk food may be convenient, and certainly tastes good to a kid, but it is invariably greasy, high in salt and extremely high in sugar and it adds up to a lot of calories very quickly. Vending machine are everywhere today selling chocolate bars and bags of chips and, perhaps worst of all, high sugar soft drinks (which make up as much as twenty five percent of the daily calorie intake for many young adults today) and also available at every turn.

3. Busy parents. We all lead busy lives these days and that often means that the practice of sitting down as a family for a healthy breakfast before starting the day and for a home cooked meal in the evening has all but disappeared in many households. Indeed, in a lot of cases, parents no longer know how to cook anything other than scrambled eggs and so it is often a case of picking up dinner on the way home from work or ordering in. And what do you pick up or order in? You guessed it, pizza, hamburgers, fried chicken or some other high fat, high salt, high sugar junk meal.

But the problem goes even further than this of course because not only are we no longer cooking healthy meals for our kids, but we are also not taking the time to educate them about food choices or to supervise what they are eating. We send them out in the morning with money in their pocket to buy food during the day but leave it entirely up to them to decide what they spend their money on.

The problem of child obesity is already at epidemic proportions and is getting worse by the day but the real problem is that we as parents are often causing the problem, or at least doing little if anything to solve it. It doesn't take a genius to find the answer to the problem of child obesity and it is time that more parents started taking more responsibility for the upbringing of their kids.

GastricBypassFacts.info provides a large number of articles on obesity and looks at the global problem of obesity as well as obesity in America

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Child Obesity in America

The epidemic of child obesity in America seems to have never been more prevalent than it is today. Even with all of the media attention on the increase in weight and the decline of activity of children all across our country, not enough seems to be happening to make the differences that the next generation needs to see. What is even more frightening is that we don't need the television or obesity statistics to know that the problem isn't going away; we can see it in our neighborhoods and sometimes in our own households.

There is hope. Education is key; education for parents, teachers, and the community, but also education for the kids. The more we all know, the easier it will be to create a change.

In working with men, women, and children as a Personal Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, and Youth Sports Instructor over the past decade, I have seen the highs and the lows of fitness in America. Having been witness to some of those lows, I can still see a light at the end of the tunnel, but what's more important is that the children see that light.

Know what? They do.

So, what can we do as individuals to start making a difference in the lives of children that may be suffering from childhood obesity?

Here are 4 Helpful Hints for Fighting Child Obesity in America

Be Supportive: When we least expect it, children are listening. Whether they seem mesmerized or distracted by the television, their iPods, or their cell phones our words, both positive and negative, stick. They will begin to model or try to become what they think you think of them.

If your consistent message is "you are overweight and all you do is sit in front of the TV all day", then that is what they will eventually emulate. Positive reinforcement like, "You looked so fast running from the school bus to the front door today. I bet that's why you're doing so well in soccer," is a great way to stimulate the activity you would like to see more of.

Lead by Example: My parents have always been my greatest heroes. Some of my favorite childhood memories were of playing baseball and soccer in the front yard, basketball in the driveway, or just racing my Mom and Dad up and down the street. It didn't occur to me until years later how much of an impact that had on me growing up and is probably part of the reason that I'm writing this today. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Talk about It: Kids and adults browse through magazines, read newspapers, and watch the television daily. Look for your coaching opportunities. If a news clip comes on that focuses on child obesity in America, ask your kids for their thoughts. You may be surprised to find that their knowledge of the subject matter is more detailed than you originally thought. What's even better? They may have some great ideas on stopping childhood obesity.

Never Stop Learning: If you have found this site, then you are already on the right track and it is obvious that you care about making a difference. The more you can learn about obesity for yourself, your friends, and your family, the more you can do to help stop it. Whether you are looking for new physical activities or games to play outside with the family, if it's trying some new, healthy recipes, or getting involved in community education, the more knowledge you have, the more you will be able to share.

Thank you for joining the cause to stop child obesity in America and across the world.

David "Boh" Bohmiller holds a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education-Exercise Science from Bridgewater State College and is NSCA-CSCS certified. He is the owner of "My Personal Trainer School" headquartered near Boston, MA. Boh spends his days writing, performing health seminars, Personal & Group Training, consulting with athletic teams, and mentoring those new to the fitness profession. For more information, questions, or to schedule an interview, please contact David Bohmiller through his website http://www.my-personal-trainer-school.com

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