Importance of Physical Activity for Children

Over the last 3 decades, the obesity rates in children have almost doubled and tripled in teens due to their inactiveness and less physical activities. With the recent changes and developments taking place in various sectors, people have become more inclined to the comfort activities and indoor entertainment, which have distant them from various physical activities like going to park, playing and sweating. Physical activities for kids are of utmost importance as childhood is the foundation period for their bodies and so as their lifestyles. According to Department of Health and Human Services, children and adolescents of age 6 and above need at least 60 minutes of physical activity or exercise every day. In this article we will discuss about factors keeping children away from physical activities and why physical activity for children is important.

Exercise is categorized into three different intensity levels i.e. low, moderate and vigorous. Many influential factors that contribute in keeping kids away from physical activities include:

• Technology: With the innovations of mobiles, tablets and such devices, children prefer and are more interested in looking at their flashing screens than any physically exerting play.
• Urbanized Living: People are so addicted to their own comforting spaces and luxurious amenities around them, that they look for alternatives to provide their children myriad indoor activity options, which results in inactive lifestyle.
• Academic Pressures: There has been a dichotomy between academic and physical preferences, which confines children from acquiring required physical motion. We may find more kids and teens buried in their books, tabs and phones than those playing around in parks and gaming courts.
• Health Pressures: Some kids prefer indoor activities due to low energy levels that usually happen due to low-nutrition diet and bad eating habits. In order to drive our kids towards more physical action, we must take care of their everyday diet and provide them with multi nutritional diet.
• Lack of Motivation: Obese parents are more likely to have overweight kids. Children learn from what they see around, so in order to motivate our children to be more physically active, parents must involve themselves in physical actions with their kids like exercising with them, go running with them, play games like badminton, basketball, table tennis, etc. Parents should adopt exemplary practices.

Children who are inactive in their routines are more likely to suffer from various health conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, blood sugar, type A diabetes, heart diseases, blood pressures, weaker bone densities, etc. We must have observed the increasing health issues in kids, adolescents and teens, which clearly demonstrate the state of physical action in children’s life.

Importance of Physical Activity for Children

Here is the list of few of the many reasons to why physical activity is important for children

1. Regular exercising strengthens our heart and it responds better to the various physical challenges we may combat to. Thus, it lowers the chance of heart diseases.
2. Exercising helps in reducing extra fats and thus keeping kids away from obesity.
3. It improves lung capacity which may help us get longer life and prevent lung diseases that might occur with age.
4. It strengthens our muscles and increases our bone density that makes our kids stronger.
5. Better physical condition keeps the kids in high spirits and thus diminishing the chances of depression and anxiety.
6. Physical activities increase metabolic rates and kids eating capacity. This grants an opportunity to parents to feed their children with healthy meals.
7. It brings confidence and increases self-efficacy in children that helps them maintain their emotional balance.

Apart from these, there are many benefits of physical activity that you may observe if you start providing your child with at least an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise a day. Healthy kids become efficient, competent, decisive and energetic adults that support them in acquiring better lifestyles and livelihoods.

Parents are the biggest pillars in their child’s foundation and thus giving a new meaning and direction to their lives. Help your children to achieve the feeling of true bliss and contentment that will come only with a healthy body and positive attitude.