It’s Never Too Early To Exercise With Your Kids

Exercise is beneficial to people of all ages. It’s not fair to think that your child doesn’t need exercise just because he is young.

Experts now say that it’s a good habit to stay active or exercise with your kids. That’s because children in today’s world have become physically inactive with all the fun technology. Compare your childhood and your kid’s childhood. You played outside much more than him, right? You played video games or saw tv once in a while, but these are your kid’s main activity. Sitting all the time and all that screen time is very unhealthy. There is no alternative to exercise for being healthy. So, here you are going to get some idea about exercise with your kid. 

 

Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean only “workout”: when you hear “exercise” is vital for your kid’s wellbeing, it doesn’t mean only rigorous activity or workout. Playing outside, walking, running, swimming, and riding a bicycle are excellent forms of exercise. But regular activities are suitable too. Doing household chores like gardening, helping you wash dishes, and even going shopping with you to get your Black Friday Deals 2020 are beneficial to help him stay active. The earlier they get in shape, the less chance of developing many illnesses.

 

Benefits of Exercising with your kid: child obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. Obesity has doubled among the U.S. children ages 2 to 5 over the past thirty years. The National Institute of Health has found in a survey; this rate tripled among children over six years. 

So, exercising saves your child from the risks of obesity and helps with many other things. For example : 

  

1. Controls weight: Inactive people tend to eat more. So these excess calories are stored as fat. Staying active regular exercise helps to burn calories and to lower weight. The balanced weight keeps the heart healthy and reduces the risk of many chronic diseases. 
2. Strengthens the heart: The relation between being fit and cardiovascular diseases in children are similar to adults. Studies show that today’s children are less fit than children twenty years ago. This data shows that now children are more vulnerable to heart diseases. Exercise reduces this risk. Like other muscles, the heart muscle also strengthens when it is regularly challenged by movement, even in early childhood. Exercise also helps to lower harmful cholesterol in the blood. So it can reduce the chances of stroke of your child when he grows up. 
3. Reduces “sit time”: Sit time may not sound so bad, but it is. If you analyze, you can see that your children might spend a considerable portion of their day just sitting. They are sitting in school, sitting for television, watching youtube, or playing video games. According to a scientific study by Harvard Medical School, sitting for many hours can change a person’s metabolism, leading to diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic health issues. If you notice that your child is sitting too long in a day, it might promote him to lead a sedentary lifestyle. So try to cut down sitting time and include more appropriate time!
4. Increases energy level: Regular physical activity can boost your child’s energy level. A fit and active child doesn’t stay tired all day. 
5. Improves mental health: While exercising, our brain releases hormones like endorphin, adrenalin, dopamine. These hormones make people feel happy, less anxious, capable, and confident. So it also helps against depression and other mental disorders. 

 

Now comes, how can you exercise with your child?

 

1. Change yourself first: Normally, a child at first follows his parents. If parents stay idle, eat junk food, keep themselves busy on mobile and laptop, their children would do the same. Similarly, if children see that their parents are active, go to a park for walking or running, do household chores, and eat healthily, they will take after their parents. So whatever activity you want your kid to be doing, do it yourself first. 
2. Start from young: The earlier, the better. Many people think that a child can exercise when he gets older; there’s no need to do physical activity. They believe that a child should do whatever he enjoys, even if it involves doing something which consists of a lot of ‘sit time.’ It can’t be any wrong. Good habits should be formed from a young age. If a one or two-year-old watches children rhyme on youtube for a long time, it will create a habit. That child will not eat unless they watch what they are accustomed to. That is why you should involve your child in everyday activity as early as possible.
3. Start with small: Take one step at a time. When your child is young, do your daily household chores like cleaning, dusting, washing with him. Go to the grocery and tell him to carry some items. He might not do this work properly, but don’t worry. Kids are fast learners. When you go for a walk, bring him with you. 

 

Misuse of technology and media everywhere. Devices and social media addiction are considered as dangerous as drug addiction. It’s not easy for you to keep your child healthy and fit amongst these. It will be even more difficult if he becomes habituated to a sedentary life. So it’s never too early to start exercising with your kid. The sooner, the better.