Remember when you were a kid, riding your bike to the corner store or playing baseball with a group of friends?
Humans were not meant to sit around watching TV or playing video games all day long. Early humans were always on the move to hunt and gather food, escape predators, and to build shelter and make new creations for their well-being and survival. In the past few decades, we have been introduced to modern conveniences that help us lead a sedentary lifestyle. Today more than ever there are so many reasons why you need to encourage your children to get outside for daily activities and have them sign up for school and local sporting activities.
1. Helps with cognitive function. A brain that isn’t encouraged to grow and think can have a difficult time in school. Physical activity encourages the growth of receptors in the brain, and can also help with cognitive function, so your child can do better in school and personal development.
2. Prevents diabetes. Being overweight can lead to type II diabetes. Then type II diabetes can lead to type I juvenile diabetes. These are life-changing severe diseases, especially for a child. It’s essential for youth to be active, eat a healthy diet, and even have a good exercise program growing up to help prevent diabetes.
3. Decreases the risk of heart disease. Heart disease can affect all ages. Daily exercise can help to strengthen the heart and prevent heart attacks and strokes in children. Teaching children to be active as children will encourage them to continue exercising into their adult years. It can also decrease the chances that they’ll suffer from heart disease when they’re seniors. Exercise also lessens the physical impact on the body, helping to reduce cortisol levels in the brain that can lead to heart and circulatory diseases.
4. Decreases stress & anxiety. Children can suffer from stress and anxiety from school, friends, and family. Having the ability to work through the stress with daily exercise will help your child to learn how to cope with stress much better. Your child will know that they can head out for a walk around the block, go for a jog or do yoga poses, to work through any stress.
5. Decreases chances for substance abuse. Unfortunately, children have access to illegal substances in school nowadays. The child that has a healthy focus on life is less likely to want to experiment with toxic chemicals. They’ll also be happier and healthier, and less likely to reach for illegal substances.
You should slowly increase your child’s activity levels by about five or ten minutes each week. The following month, encourage one full hour of outdoor play or vigorous physical activity. Let them be as noisy as possible and don’t scold them for being active.
After a while, you’ll see a difference in your child. They’ll be happier and healthier, sleep better and be less irritated at minor things. The importance of children getting daily physical activity isn’t so much an option but rather is a necessity.