Sunday 13 October 2013

Children of the future...... Fat or Fit?


Children of the future….. Fat or Fit?

 

Well summer is well and truly over and most people’s holidays are now just a distant memory. I did take my trainers on holiday with me and ran round the complex a couple of times. I did get plenty of rest though and my batteries are fully recharged. We had a Bootcamp team which did the Tough Mudder at the beginning of the month and following that I completed the Great North Run, so I have been busy since my holidays and I feel I will be due another one soon ;)

 

Anyway my holiday gave me the idea for this month’s article. Whilst I was lying on my sun lounger reading my book watching kids and families splash around in the pool and on the beach I was quite shocked at the amount of overweight children there were! It was quite frightening to think that children have such unhealthy lifestyles which lead to them being overweight, which will no doubt follow them into adulthood and may cause health problems in the future.

 

Now some of these kids were running around, they were in and out of the water swimming and messing about, so why were they overweight…. Bad diet? Lack of exercise the rest of the year? Or following the example of their parents?

 

I realise that times have changed and that technology has taken over good old fashioned playing outside, perhaps when we were kids we could get away with eating more treats because we were so active. Whatever the reason is for children being overweight I believe that children still need to be getting more exercise.

 

Below are some guidelines for children aged 5-18 years old for the amount and type of exercise they should be getting:-

 

·         The amount of exercise children & young people should engage in everyday is at least 60 minutes of exercise at a moderate to vigorous intensity.

·         Vigorous intensity activities should be incorporated at least three days a week, including those that strengthen bone & muscle.

·         The amount of time spent being sedentary (sitting) for extended periods should be minimal!

 

Moderate intensity activities will cause children’s hearts to beat faster, breathe harder and to get warmer. They should still be able to hold a conversation. Activities include walking to school, playing in the playground & riding a bike.

 

Vigorous intensity activities will cause the children to get even warmer, their hearts to beat rapidly and their breathing will be much harder, and they will find it hard to hold a conversation. Activities include running, football, aerobics, playing tag (any adults who come to Bootcamp when we start with a game of tag will know how hard it is!)

 

Good bone strengthening exercises include running, skipping, jumping, gymnastics & many sporting games.  Muscle strengthening activities are anything that requires children to lift/use their own bodyweight or work against a resistance. Examples of such exercises can include press-ups, sit-ups climbing tree’s, tug of war & gymnastics to name a few.

 

The benefits of exercise include:

·         Helps maintain a healthy weight

·         Improves bone health

·         Improved cardiovascular health

·         Helps develop new skills – physical & social

·         Improves self confidence

 

Even though children take part in PE and exercise at school they need to be carrying on activity out of school as well as following a healthy diet. Some parents/guardians may not know how to help their children be active or what are the healthiest food choices. There are lots of advice out there and many sports clubs/activity classes which children can attend to help them get the most out of their exercise session. Now I don’t want to encourage everyone out there to become a ‘pushy parent’ but I would encourage people to help their children become healthier and more active.

 Fit 4 Force runs Youth-a-cise sessions for 11-15 year olds at MFG sports centre on Saturday mornings at 11.45am-12.30pm. Children sign up for a 4 week training package with set start and finish dates. Sessions are varied & fun for boys & girls. Children even get the chance to ‘Earn your stripes’ with our Bootcamp Warrior ranking system. For further details contact Andrea on 07949 959 547 info@fit4force.co.uk or visit our website www.fit4force.co.uk

 

 

Andrea Springthorpe

Fit 4 Force owner


 

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