parenting
When You Add Free Play & Exercise, It Equals One Fit
Child
By Solomon Brenner
Everyone wants their children to be as fit as can be,
and if that sounds like you, which it most likely does, you’re going to want
to incorporate both scheduled exercise and free play into their daily
routine to make sure they’re receiving the three elements of fitness:
strength, endurance and flexibility.
When adults think of strength, we think of weight
training. Children, on the other hand, do not need a formal weight training
session to be strong. Push-ups, pull-ups and stomach crunches are great ways
to build muscle without ever picking up any weights. Your children’s muscles
are also being worked during play time when they are swinging from the
monkey bars or doing handstands.
Endurance is developed through aerobic activity, when
the heart beats faster and a person breathes harder. Aerobic activity
strengthens the heart and improves the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to
its cells when done regularly and for continuous periods of time. While
adults may hit the gym and jump on the treadmill, kids develop their
endurance from outside activities like playing tag, swimming or skating,
just to name a few.
Flexibility is developed through stretching exercises.
While getting a child to sit down and do yoga seems preposterous, they test
their flexibility other ways. Everyday activities like practicing flips and
splits, touching their toes or trying to get things that are just out of
their reach increase children’s flexibility, which allows muscles and joints
to bend easily through their full range of motion.
It’s important that young children not stay inactive
for longer than an hour at a time, other than when they are sleeping.
School-age children should not be inactive for longer than two hours at a
time, which most likely means limiting the amount of time they spend in
front of the TV, computer or Xbox.
To raise a fit kid, help your child get involved in
activities that are suitable to his or her age, and even incorporate
activity into daily routines, such as taking the stairs instead of the
elevator. When you establish a regular schedule for physical activity, be
sure to make it something your child will enjoy. Putting a positive light on
fitness transforms it into something your child sticks with throughout his
or her life. It is also important to embrace a healthy lifestyle for
yourself to set a good example for your children.
Exercise and healthy living helps children feel good
about themselves and gives them self-confidence. Starting early increases
the chance that they will continue these good habits throughout their lives.
Kids who are physically fit also sleep better and are better equipped to
deal with the physical and emotional challenges of a typical day, like
running to catch a bus, bending down to tie their shoes or studying for a
test in this new school year.
Solomon Brenner is the author of “Black Belt
Parenting.”
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