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Physical Activity and Child Obesity
Children don’t get the same level of physical activity as they used to. Play times at school are not as long, gym classes are either reduced or eliminated altogether. It is a shame how kids seem to veg out for hours in front of computer games and television. With all these factors together, it is no wonder that children are increasingly becoming overweight. Physical activity and child obesity are interlinked.
Add to the lack of physical activity, society also encourages the consumption of more and more calories through super sized meals at restaurants. It is no wonder that our kids are becoming so overweight.
An ounce of prevention is DEFINITELY worth more than a pound of cure by far. Don’t wait until an plump kid becomes fat. Start early in preventing a child from gaining weight by encouraging activity. The best way a parent can do this is by cutting off the TV and computer games. Kids naturally move around when they are actively playing and it makes a big difference over “rewinding Barney for the 16th time” like the country song “Mr. Mom” states. We as parents need to become more involved in our children’s activities and not let the TV baby-sit for us. Why wait until a kid is 16 and morbidly obese? The costs are much more than monetary, it can make a difference in the long term health and self confidence of your child.
Physical activity and Child obesity
If your child is already obese, it is usually recommended to take a child to the doctor determine how to approach starting a new physical activity regimen. In my opinion, however, I believe that common sense can go a long way. If they are fat, just start them out slowly on any rigorous running or jumping and really…I never recommend pushing a child to exercise. Lifting weights and forcing them to jog or run just for the sake of running is pretty boring and might cause damage to joints and muscles if done too much. Just give them opportunity to play. Take them to the park. It will happen. It is natural. Kids move a lot when they play outside.
Physical activity and child obesity are connected. Helping the overweight child means getting them to play and move. Increasing a child’s level of physical activity is up to you as a parent. If you find that your child seems sluggish, invent a game to play that gets you both moving. Try hide and seek. Set the example.
The U.S. Surgeon General recommends moderate physical activity for children every day for at least one hour. In the beginning, for an overweight child this might be a little to much, but it can be gradually increased. Make an exercise chart. Take your kid on a walk everyday. Start them out with 5 minute bursts of exercise at a time. In the beginning maybe go 30 minutes to start total and work their way up to one hour of vigorous physical activity.
Spending extra time together with your child makes a difference. Get other kids involved with your child. Assign household chores like raking leaves or washing the car that require physical movement. Organized sports can be good as well. Play with your child. I love to play frisbee and it gets us all moving, but most of all, it should be fun for your child to move. Overcome child obesity, exercise!
YOU HEARD ME…JUST GET YOUR KID(S) TO MOVE!
