Blooming Early Years

 Effect  of exercise on children development

The effect of exercise for children’s growth and development cannot be understated; both for the physical and mental benefits.

The thought of exercising with your child can be sometimes discouraging especially when thinking of age-appropriate activities. However,instead of trying to make   schedules, you should focus on engaging them in activities that they find enjoyable by first beginning to engage them  in exercise, try starting with “free play” time at home. During this time, allow them to use it as they desire so long as they are moving their bodies, you could also stimulate them more by letting them have fun with their friends and don’t forget to join in as this could be more fascinating than you could imagine

 Numerous research studies show that children who develop healthy lifestyle patterns at a young age are more likely to carry them into adulthood, promoting lifelong health benefits. These benefits are not only physical but can improve mental well-being as well.

                       Types of Exercise

Exposing children to a broad range of physical activity will help them to stay fit and healthy throughout their lives. The more fun you can make exercising for your child, the better because if they are enjoying themselves it won’t feel like exercise at all for them. Let your child choose what is best for themselves and as your child continues to increase their physical activity, you will see increased health benefits, both mentally and physically. Understanding the vital importance of exercise for your child’s growth and development will help you engage with your child in new ways.

When exercising with your child, be creative in your choice of activity to keep them engaged and excited. There are four primary types of exercise. To see maximum health benefits, an exercise routine should incorporate all four types. However, getting your child to participate in one or two is a great start.

 The four types of exercise are:

Aerobic 

More commonly referred to as cardiovascular or endurance exercise, aerobic activities increase the heart rate, cause breathing to quicken, and typically work up a sweat. Endurance exercise helps to increase the functioning of the heart and lungs by improving cardiovascular capacity. For children, these activities do not have to be vigorous and can include:

• • Swimming

  • Skating

  • Dancing

  • Skipping

  • Playing Tag

  • Climbing

Flexibility

This type of  activities promote flexibility ,help your child’s posture and minimise the risk of injury in other activities. Flexibility will become more vital to their ability to perform tasks as they age. Flexibility promoting activities include:

• • Active play on a playground

  • Digging in dirt or sand

  • Gymnastics

  • Yoga

Strength

Engaging children in activities  against resistance will help your child build strong muscles and bones. The development of adequate muscular strength allows children to move through the demands of everyday life without pain or restriction from their muscles and joints. Activities that promote strength include:

• • Lifting and carrying things such as groceries or toys (too much weight lifting should be avoided during childhood and adolescence)

  • Climbing stairs

  • Playground activities like monkey bars, climbing ladders, or scaling poles

Balance

As we age, the systems which help to maintain balance begin breaking down. Certain exercises, however, can help slow the progression of this deterioration. Plus, improving balance at a young age can help children feel steadier on their feet. Balance exercises for children include:

• • • Playing hopscotch

      • Standing on one foot

  • Walking on a balance beam, or placing tape on the floor and trying not to “fall off”

                    Benefit of exercise

Exposing children to a broad range of physical activity will help them to stay fit and healthy throughout their lives. The more fun you can make exercising for your child, the better because if they are enjoying themselves it won’t feel like exercise at all for them. Let your child choose what is best for themselves and as your child continues to increase their physical activity, you will see increased health benefits, both mentally and physically. Understanding the vital importance of exercise for your child’s growth and development will help you engage with your child in new ways.

Physical activity is important for children of all ages, providing both mental and physical benefits, like improved confidence and stronger bones. Find a few activities for your child to stay active and you’ll quickly see the benefits of exercise for children’s growth and development.

           Physical Benefits of Exercise

 Whether child or adult. Exercise is important for all children and doesn’t only help with weight maintenance. Exercise helps to decrease the risk of many health concerns, and can also have these physical benefits:

• • Strengthens the Heart – Some forget that the heart is a muscle and, like other muscles, its performance improves when it is challenged. As your child exercises, their heart responds by becoming stronger and more efficient in its actions, i.e. pumping blood throughout the body. This increased strength can help ward off heart disease.

  • Strengthens the Lungs – Similar to the heart, the efficiency of your child’s lungs increases as they are exercised. As a result, more oxygen is drawn into the body while more carbon dioxide is expelled. This increased efficiency helps to alleviate the natural decline of oxygen intake which occurs with age.

  • Strengthens Bones – Bones, like muscles, grow physically stronger when stressed. Certain types of exercise can help increase bone density and in turn prevent the development of osteoporosis, a condition which causes the bones to become weak and fragile.

  • Reduces Risk of Diabetes – Physical activity also lowers blood sugar levels by triggering the muscles to take up more glucose from the bloodstream, using it as an energy source for performance. Lower blood sugar levels are directly associated with a lower risk of diabetes.

  • Prevents Cancer – People who exercise regularly tend to have a lower incidence of cancer by helping control weight, reduce sex hormones or insulin, and strengthen the immune system. The cancers most affected by physical activity include colon, prostate, uterine, and breast cancers.

  • Regulates Blood Pressure – Exercise helps regulate and lower blood pressure in two ways. First, by reducing the amount of cholesterol and fats in a child’s blood. This coupled with the increase in flexibility of the walls of the blood vessels that results from exercise lowers blood pressure. Second, exercise has been shown to reduce stress. High levels of stress are associated with elevated blood pressure, reducing stress has been shown to in turn lower blood pressure.

  • Controls Weight – When children, and adults, are sedentary they tend to take in more calories than they actually need to function. These unused calories are then stored as fat in the body and begin to accumulate. Such excess fat in the body is associated with heart disease and diabetes in both children and adults alike, regular exercising will help  release these excess fat and keep your child fit . 

  • It improves energy levels- Regular exercise often makes people feel more energetic, allows them to be more active, and reduces the likelihood that they’ll tire during the day.

            Mental Benefits of Exercise

Physical activity does not only enhance your child’s body but their mind too. While researchers are still unclear as to how or why exercise can have some of these mental health benefits, they are sure that the connection between exercise and the mind exists. Below are some mental health benefit of exercise

• • Improves Mood – Multiple studies have shown a correlation between exercise and a positive effect on mood. One theory cites that a specific neurotransmitter, serotonin, causes what is commonly referred to as an “exercise high.” The theory states that exercise produces increased levels of serotonin in the central nervous system which in turn increases feelings of well-being, heightens the appetite, and lessens negative feelings related to depression.

• • Reduces Stress – Exercise can also help manage mental stress, decrease feelings of anxiety, and deal with other existing mental tensions. After a workout there are increased concentrations of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine in the brain which is known to moderate the brain’s response to stress.

• • Increases Cognition – Various studies show the link between cardiovascular exercise and neurogenesis. Neurogenesis is the process of creating new brain cells which help to improve overall brain performance and function. 

• • Improves Self-Confidence – Research shows that physical fitness is linked to a boost in self-esteem and increased self-confidence. These effects have been noted in numerous research studies regardless of age, gender, or weight.

By developing exercise habits from a young age, your child will continue to engage in physical activity and see the health benefits, both physical,mental,  and throughout adulthood.

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