My Gym: Why Fitness Is Important For Kids

It seems that everywhere you look there are activities offered to our children for fun video games or a new cartoon series on television. The sad fact is that these activities lead our children down a path that can lead them to a sedentary adult lifestyle. As parents we only want the best things possible for our kids, and this is why we need to understand why fitness is so important for our children. Here are some startling facts about childhood obesity in the United States alone.

There is an annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that is completed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that read off numbers stating that one-third of the children in the U.S. are overweight or well on their way to being overweight. Break this number down even more it shows a devastating twenty-five million U.S. children are overweight. Another study from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation showed that children from the age of two through the age of nineteen are at a seventeen point one percentage of being obese. If these numbers are not enough to get our attention let’s discuss what effect our children may suffer due to childhood obesity.

For those children who are obese they can unfortunately suffer many consequences from this. First let’s explain what obese means. Obese is the term used to describe any person who is carrying a much higher percentage of body fat than what is healthy for proper bodily function. Due to obesity our children can suffer from what are usually adult related health concerns such as Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol. These are health concerns that lower the quality of life for any person who struggles with them. Our children have so many concerns in this world and obesity related diseases should not be a concern for them. So how do we prevent childhood obesity?

Exercise and a healthy diet are the true treatment for childhood obesity. Our children need to have limited time on the computer and more time outdoors kicking a ball around. Participate in a healthy activity such as activities offered at a children’s gymnasium. Most towns have a children's gymnasium franchise, which offers fun and fit activities from toddler through teens. With the knowledge given here, please continue to give your child the best and the best is to include fitness in the lives of your kids.

Labels: childrens, fitness, gymnasium, kids