by Jen Foley, MVHNews fitness blogger, Healthy Lifestyles Director at Two Rivers YMCA
Here are a FIVE FACTS about today’s youth:
- The average child gets less than 15 minutes of vigorous activity a day.
- The average U.S. child spends 20% of his/her time watching television
- The average child consumes at least 20 ounces of soda pop a day
- The child of today is less fit and more fat than the child of the 60’s
- Nine out of ten parents think their children are fit, when only one of three are.
The World Health Organization attributes 22 percent of heart disease, 15 percent of diabetes cases and 15 percent of breast, colon and rectal cancers to lack of physical activity. Now combine lack of physical activity with lack of fruit and vegetable intake, and we have a recipe for a future health disaster for our children as we move into the next quarter century.
The recommended amount of physical activity for children is between 30-60 minutes on most days of the week. As many parents know, aerobic exercise has a list of benefits, including maintaining cardiac health, lowering blood pressure, helping to maintain a good weight, decreasing diabetes risk, boosting energy, and improving sleep and school work.
Resistance training improves metabolism and bone density in children, reducing the risk for osteoporosis, and it increases strength and muscle mass in post-pubertal children. For kids, light resistance and controlled movements are best — with a special emphasis on proper technique and safety. Your child can do many strength-training exercises with his or her own body weight or inexpensive resistance tubing. Free weights and machine weights are other options.
Children must be taught to exercise at home and on a regular basis. Parents simply cannot rely on sports team activities to teach their children the skills needed to nurture healthy exercise habits. Children need to be taught the joys and benefits of daily exercise. Make exercise a routine part of children’s lives, so staying active feels natural and important now and for years to come.
Source: Mary Ellen Renna, M.D., FAAP, PNS, is a pediatrician and physician nutrition specialist with more than 20 years of experience
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Jen Foley is the Healthy Lifestyles Director at the Two Rivers YMCA, Moline. Jen majored in Therapeutic Recreation at the University of Tennessee and Gerontology at Sonoma State University. She lives in Davenport with her husband, Tim and their two pugs Jack and Lucy. She enjoys having an active lifestyle and helping others achieve their goals.For a listing of all of Jen’s blog posts, click here. |
