Why is Physical Fitness so Important for Kids

Many people mistakenly believe that fitness is not important for kids because kids are more flexible, have higher metabolic rates and more energy. Kids, however, need to exercise (in appropriate ways) to avoid injury and build strength and endurance, avoid obesity and stay fit.

Physical fitness is also important for kids because it will help them develop healthy habits which will benefit them later in life.

Most kids today exercise less than they should because there are so many alternatives and distractions available to them.  It's during the formative years that individuals lay the foundation for what later become healthy or poor habits.

Exercise routines designed for adults will quickly bore today’s kids. But the activity doesn't have to involve formal group sports, either. A gentle jog with an adult, a tennis game, swimming, golf, martial arts, bicycling, dancing, gymnastics and many other sports are enjoyable for today’s kids.

One of the challenges with getting your child to become more physically fit is that children will tune out anything that appears inconsistent or hypocritical. If you are serious, you need to “walk the talk” and exercise with them. This approach has a couple of major advantages.  The parents will spend quality time with their kids outside the house and during activities that benefit both. Parents also get the added advantage of keeping an eye on the kids to insure that they are exercising in a safe and proper way.

Like any routine, if it produces pain - even the day after - the individual is less likely to continue. The best approach is to keep it simple and gradually build up the difficulty and length. Although kids are naturally more flexible, they do require some warm-up and gentle stretching before starting any intense exercise. Several minutes of static and dynamic stretching will help avoid injury.

Exercise routines should be appropriate for the child’s age.

The primary focus for children under 8 should be development of basic physical skills, such as coordination and balance. During this time period, a child’s motor skills and eye-hand coordination are still developing. Children take to these activities naturally, as well. Jumping rope, hopscotch and other simple activities help guide the development of these skills.

For children between 8 and 12, exercises can become more vigorous in order to keep that active metabolism from turning food into fat. Adults, however, do need to steer kids in order to develop good habits and avoid injury. Weight machines are almost always a bad idea for pre-teens, for example. They're risky and unnecessary.

Gymnastics, by contrast, helps build on those basic motor skills learned earlier while developing strength, balance and keeping the endocrine system active and healthy.

For teens, the field is wide open. They have the basic bone and muscle structure that gives them the potential for high performance activity in a wide variety of activities and sports. But here, too, the possibility of injury remains for those who don't receive the correct direction.

Teens are inclined to roughhousing and rebelliousness. Give them an outlet that directs all that energy and independence to the achievement of positive goals - fitness, endurance, high scores.