According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly one-fifth of our adolescents, ages 6-19, are clinically obese. A stunning fact to take in, even more stunning, this massive problem can be easily avoided.
Fitness in children is a key factor to help endorse a healthy lifestyle, as well as a sticking point in the prevention of childhood obesity. Promoting exercise, and limiting other unworthy activities like watching television or even munching on the family size bag of nachos, can exponentially help reduce many problems that come hand in hand with poor fitness in children.
Children are capable of quite a range of physical fitness activities. Exercise can stem from playing soccer, an intense game of freeze tag, strength training at the gym, or even walking the family dog daily. There are plenty of exercise options for any population and age. Children under the age of 9 are typically recommended to stick with cardiovascular activities, but incorporating light bodyweight strength exercises to help build muscle, which is the catalyst to burning fat. Children 9 and up, can start involving load bearing exercises and plyometrics under close supervision until the age of 14, where most any exercise will have some sort of beneficial result.
A daily regimen of involving physical activity can greatly improve the quality of life for many children in the world. The key is to take action, and strive to make it more of a steadfast lifestyle change, because being fit is not just a phase, it’s a way of life, and the only way to go, and it all begins with a little bit of initiative from the ones that influence these kids the most.
Naveed Yousufzai is an AFPA Certified Personal Trainer and is also certified in the Edge, our sports performance training facility.
