The benefits of regular exercise for children are numerous, and vary from children to adults. It’s always great to get children fit and active, not just for their own amusement, but for their own health, both in the short term and for the future.

A child’s body develops to a pretty standard model, but is influenced by lifestyle, food types, and frequency of exercise. We’ve all heard the stereotypes of pointing out “football mad kids”, and pointing out the ones that “sit inside and eat junk food whilst playing on computer games”. Whist the stereotypes are rather derogatory and harsh (and of course I do not mean to tarnish children with real medical issues), they are often accurate assumptions. It’s no hidden truth that many parents fill their children with junk and “protect” them by keeping them from the dangers of playing out. It’s often this protective nature that is the main destructive force in parental guidance. No parent goes out of their way to make their child ill, but often the cotton wool nature of our society breeds this exact “disease”.

What would you do if I told you that by keeping your child indoors and “protecting” them from the outside world, you would be increasing their likelihood to gain excessive amounts of weight, increase the chance of heart disease in adult life, diminish their bone density leading to osteoporosis in adulthood, causing stress, anxiety, and high blood pressure? Either you’re of the opinion that you will do everything in your control to make sure you break these habits… or you’ll be of the opinion that you’re not going to let me tell you how to be a parent.

Either way, you owe it to your children to give them the best possible start in life. You owe it to the rest of their lives and their health to make sure that your children get regular exercise and develop stronger bodies (both their physical and immune systems).

Exercise is equally as important for adults too, which I’ll cover in my next article.

For further information or advice on any of the topics covered in this article, please drop us a line on the Contact Page.  We provide training service and guidance to all ages and will gladly provide a consultation service for any of the issues raised.