Children and Exercise

In our society today one of the most difficult problems we are facing is the large numbers of obesity in our children. One of the major factors in that is this; our children have become less physically active. At an early age children start watching TV, learn how to operate a computer, and play video games. Having technological skills is now a necessity in all of our lives because everything has turned "computerized," but the fact is that our children are relying on these types of entertainment rather than getting up and physically exercising to entertain them selves. This directly affects the large number of obese children in our country today because of the lack of physical exercise. It is not that we want our kids to look a certain way or to be better at sports than everyone else, but it is that we want our kids to be physically fit and to develop a healthy lifestyle. Physical exercise is not only for adults, it is for children as well, so we must understand the importance of our children exercising and the benefits from it. By doing that it will make an impact on that child for the rest of his/her life.

The reason we should be hesitant to allow our children to watch TV or play video games is that once a child does that, then he/she starts to enjoy it and wants to do it more and more. It becomes an event that they look forward to doing. Whether it is anxiously waiting on a certain TV show to come on, or hurrying in the house to get to their favorite video game. Children have become obsessed with these types of entertainment and have completely forgot about physical activities. Children do not look forward to getting some friends over to play football in the backyard as much anymore. They look forward to getting friends over to go inside and play a video game while eating chips and drinking cokes. Not only are they eating wrong foods, but also they are cutting out the physical activities to burn those calories off. Granted children should have restrictions on the types of food they eat, I am not taking anything away from that fact. But if a child is at least exercising then he/she will burn off a lot of those calories consumed in those unhealthy foods. So one question to ask is this; why are children becoming more dependent on technology rather than physical activity?

Parents play a huge role in answering this question. A parent's influence on a child begins even before conception and never ends from that point on. Children are always watching and learning, and even as an adult, a son or daughter will still be influenced by their parents whether it be for something happening present time, or in the past. If a parent has a healthy exercise routine then it is likely that the child will want to pick that habit up as well. But on the other side, if a parent does not have good exercise habits, then the child will likely pick that up as well. As parents, our nation has become fixated on putting our kids in front of a TV to occupy time. We think if we can put our children down in front of that TV and be able to walk away and "not have to deal with them" then we have accomplished something. But in doing that, all that happens is that the child becomes dependent on TV entertainment. Then when "Dad" gets home each night he sits down in his lazy chair and watches TV until he goes to sleep. To the child, this just reassures the fact that watching television is a daily routine for everybody. Susan Kalish put it right on the dot when she said this; "Children are a reflection of their parents, and their society. If children are taught by sedentary, over weight teachers, brought up by inactive parents, and watch their grandparents retire only to sink into armchairs, it should surprise nobody that youngsters follow the examples they see." (Kalish) But if "mommy and daddy" knew all of the risks of their child NOT exercising then they might want to change some of the habits at home.

According to the American Heart association, physical inactivity is a major risk factor for developing coronary artery disease. It also increases the risk of stroke and such other major cardiovascular risk factors as obesity, high blood pressure, low HDL ("good") cholesterol and diabetes. (American Heart Association) The World Heart Federation warned in September 2003 that failure to exercise is as bad for one's health as smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. Physical inactivity doubles the chances of developing heart disease and increases the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. Doctors estimate that between 65% and 85% of the world's population fail to take enough exercise. Two out of three children around the globe take too little exercise to improve their health. This is particularly true in Westernized nations where higher standards of living, modern conveniences and urban environments make exercise unnecessary and less enjoyable. (Diagnose-Me) Also, a study was done in Minnesota to determine if there was a connection between lack of exercise and depression. Participants were asked if they got 20 minutes of exercise at least three times a week; they also took a standard test for adolescent depression. Higher levels of physical activity at the start of the seventh grade were tied to lower levels of depression at the same point, and increased activity over the next 2 years was associated with reduced depressive symptoms at the end. (IDEA)

Not only are there medical downfalls to the lack of exercise, but everyday life is effected if children do not exercise the required amounts. When children get up in the morning they should have had a good nights rest, but in some cases this is not the fact. Because of the lack of energy spent the day before, the child was not really tired when they went to sleep, so they really did not rest as well as they should have. Through the day kids should have plenty of energy to do everything required of them, and more. But if a child lacks regular exercise then sudden tasks that require more energy will seem to drain them. For example, a child must climb 4 flights of stairs in a shopping mall. At the top of the stairs he/she is winded and needs to stop and rest for a second. During school hours children should be able to focus on their lessons and tasks, but when a child lacks the physical exercise then it is harder for them to concentrate on mental tasks. There is a direct connection between physical and mental wellness. When one end of that connection is broken then both ends will be affected, whether it is directly or, as in this case, indirectly. Children stop physically exercising which indirectly affects their mental performance. But on the other hand if the physical part is being held up, then it is only going to help mental performance as well.

There are many physical and mental benefits to a regular exercise pattern. The American Heart Association