Exercise for Children

It is well known that exercise is important for everyone, regardless of age, gender or sex. With the growing number of obese children in our country it is much more important to make sure our children are getting plenty of exercise. Children are easily drawn into television programs, video games and other sedentary activities.

Adding to the problem of more obese children is the prevalence of fast food restaurants with advertising specifically targeting young, impressionable minds with flashes of cheeseburger, French fries and free toys. Parents today have more busy schedules than they did in the past and fast food seems like a quick, easy meal to make hungry children happy. As an occasional treat once or twice a month, fast food can be used as a reward, but it should never be the primary meal staple every single day.

Encouraging children to get up an exercise can help offset all the bad behaviors that have developed over the past few decades. In certain areas, allowing children to go outside and play unsupervised is no longer possible. However, as parents we can take our children to play grounds where they can play and interact with other children in a safe environment. There are also public facilities that offer indoor pools and other recreational activities for the entire family to participate in with supervision for the younger ones.

Parents can make routine chores for children into exercise activities as well. Helping to carry items up and down stairs several times in a row is a good exercise. If you have a family pet that needs walking several times a day, you should try to include your children in this activity. Walking the dog is not a strenuous activity that will get your children away from the television and outdoors for a short period of time.