WHO warns, 81% of children do not practice exercise
Exercise is one of the best gifts that can be given to a child. Encouraging him to leave the sofa and go out to the street to enjoy while moving is a good option to prevent possible long-term ills. Obesity, heart problems, back pain, these are some of the consequences of sedentary lifestyle in children.
And do children practice today? According to the Organization of Health, WHO no. This entity emphasizes that at present few young people dedicate part of their time to carry out some physical activity and alert of the consequences that sedentary lifestyle can have in the new generations.
Important risk factor
WHO says that currently 81% of the young population are not active enough. Something that should worry because sedentary lifestyle is one of the risk factors that can be prevented from home but that currently is not taken into account. Today it is more common to see children with overweight and obesity and this is due, in part, to the reduction of exercise time in these generations.
To the health problems related to obesity and overweight it should be added that the lack of physical activity increases the chances of suffering from coronary and cerebrovascular diseases. Other more serious health problems such as colon cancer and breast cancer can also be prevented with a little daily exercise. In the same way, these practices are also good for keeping the depression well away.
Physical activity also helps to promote good rest. Not only because the body gets tired and this favors entering the state of drowsiness necessary to sleep. When going out to the street to move, the body adapts to the cycles of light, so that the night comes and prepares to go to bed and facilitate an excellent sleep.
Many options to stay in shape
From WHO it is clear that there are many ways to stay active and not all of them involve going for a run or lifting weights. Some alternatives like pointing the child to a sport that you like work perfectly. Dance classes are also an excellent option to start the body. Even a walk to the nearest supermarket or the park next to home is recommended.
At home you can also encourage physical activity by encouraging the child to get up from the couch and help with household chores. Picking up the room or cleaning the room already starts the organism and has more benefits than sitting down and doing nothing.
The most important thing is to instill the routine of the exercise to the life of the youngest of the house. Here are some tips to get it:
- Choose the sport. The range is wide and there is always an option that includes the participation of all the members of the family. You just have to search to find a correct option.
- Dosage. You do not have to have it all the first day. The exercise can be included little by little in the lives of the youngest ones, starting with walks near home and ending up with dance classes or an activity. The mission is to make these practices attractive.
- Short-term goals. Nothing motivates more than achieving the desired objective. Putting tests to the little ones as "today we are going to walk to X site" is an excellent idea because by doing so you can applaud this and predispose the little ones to improve themselves.
- Make sport attractive. Sport can be very fun if you raise it as such. A day of hiking can be a perfect occasion to play with children in the countryside and organize a meal in nature that will entertain everyone.
- Take the iniciative. Not only children should exercise. Adults must also move and therefore they must be the ones who take the initiative. Any day is good to make everyone get up from the couch, you just have to propose it.
Damián Montero
