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Cheyenne Ellis
When many people decide to "get fit," they assume it involves rigorous activity. But you don't have to spend hours in a gym to be physically active. People can get in shape by performing everyday activities in the home. Every time you and your child throw a softball, swim a lap, climb a flight of stairs, walk to the store, or carry packages, your health and fitness levels are improving.

When someone is physically fit, she feels and looks better, and she stays healthier. The earlier a child starts getting in shape, the more she'll reduce her risk of numerous illnesses. Here are some of the benefits that physical activity offers your child:

1. It strengthens the heart. The heart is a muscle. Like other muscles, its performance improves when it's regularly challenged by exercise. The heart responds to exercise by becoming stronger and more efficient. Strengthening the heart muscle can help ward off heart disease -- the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- even in early childhood.

2. It helps keep arteries and veins clear. Exercise reduces the amount of harmful cholesterol and fats in a person's blood. It increases the flexibility of the walls of blood vessels, and helps to lower blood pressure. This can reduce a person's risk for heart attack and stroke.

3. It strengthens the lungs. Working hard increases lung capacity, and their efficiency in moving air in and out of the body. As a result, more oxygen is drawn into the body and more carbon dioxide and other waste gases are expelled. Regular exercise helps prevent the decline in oxygen intake that occurs naturally with age or as a result of inactivity.

4. It reduces blood sugar levels. Exercise prevents sugar from accumulating in the blood by triggering muscles to take up more glucose from the bloodstream and use it for energy. This can reduce a person's risk of developing diabetes.

5. It controls weight. When a person is sedentary, he tends to be taking in more calories than are needed. These unused calories accumulate as fat. A person who is physically active may have a deficit of calories, which takes fat away and lowers weight. Lowered weight is good for the heart and can be beneficial in people with diabetes.

6. It strengthens bones. Just as muscles grow stronger when physically stressed, bones also respond by getting stronger. Exercise increases bone density, which helps prevent osteoporosis, a condition in which bones lose density, weaken, and become porous and fragile.

7. It helps prevent cancer. People who exercise regularly have lower incidences of cancer. The cancers most affected include colon, prostate, uterine, and breast cancers.

8. It regulates blood pressure. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress levels. As the levels of stress in a person's body subsides, his blood pressure and his risk for heart disease decline.

9. 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.

10. It enhances emotional well-being. Most people report that they feel calm and have a sense of well-being after they exercise. Exercise, according to one theory, releases beta-endorphin, a natural substance in the body that is hundreds of times more potent than morphine. Another theory points to serotonin as the cause of the exercise high. Increased levels of serotonin in the central nervous system are associated with feelings of well-being, heightening of appetite, and lessening of mental depression. The weight loss that accompanies exercise can also cause people to feel better about themselves.
Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics; American Medical Association; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Reviewed 2/02 by Jane Forester, MD
All content here, including advice from doctors and other health professionals, should be considered as opinion only. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.

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When many people decide to "get fit," they assume it involves rigorous activity. But you don't have to spend hours in a gym to be physically active. People can get in shape by performing everyday activities in the home.

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Get-up and Go!

Our children are our future-understanding and supporting their natural yearning for physical activity will help lead them to a lifetime of happy and healthy living. If we joyfully teach them how to include healthy exercise from the early stages of their development, we will be giving our children a gift that will endure throughout their lives.

Among the many benefits are physical fitness, confidence and stronger self-esteem, more energy, better memory, and simply a good feeling about themselves-and they are easy to achieve. Our Take The Magic Step® team is as concerned as many of you about the growing problem of childhood obesity and the lack of exercise in their lives. Whether this obesity and inactivity is caused by the popularity of video games or the declining hours of physical education in schools, it is a wake-up call for everyone. Happily, there are ways of reversing this growing trend and helping our children to enjoy daily exercise and outdoor activities, which they love given the opportunity.

Our "Children's Fitness and Health Program" is geared towards parents and educators, and focuses on creative ways to incorporate exercise into our children's everyday routine. Outdoor games and playful workout routines can be the tools that instill lasting joy of exercise. I was so lucky that I was introduced to, enjoyed and benefited from these activities during my childhood. It created in me an appreciation and understanding of the complex benefits that fitness and exercise can add to a person's wellbeing. Over the years I have been fortunate to share this lasting experience with many children and young adults. This Website is designed to address our families as well, so please click the YOU section on the toolbar above for more information.

To emphasize once again the importance of exercise, I have put together some of the health benefits an active child can expect.

Exercise Improves Physical Health
Long-term health benefits of exercise are:

A stronger immune system! The body's ability to fight disease is improved. Children are less prone to colds, allergies, and diseases, including cancer.

A reduction of type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity and improving carbohydrate metabolism.

A lower blood pressure and an improvement of the child's cholesterol profile.

A strengthening of the entire cardiovascular system, including the heart and lungs. The heart develops a higher "pump-activity" while the child's heart and lungs are strengthened, supporting the prevention of heart disease.

Children are less likely to become overweight and will have better control of their body fat. Overweight children are able to reduce their body weight and body fat due to the physiological effect of burning fat while exercising.

Children develop stronger bone structure and muscle structure.

Active children enjoy additional health benefits, because:

Exercise increases the blood flow to all body tissues, including the brain. Greater blood flow transports more oxygen and nutrients to the body's cells.

Active children improve their body's ability to absorb oxygen through aerobic exercise. Due to the increased oxygen in their body's cells they feel more energized. More oxygen translates into more energy!

Increased blood flow promotes the body's transportation of the byproducts of metabolism and toxins back from the cells for elimination, recycling, or further use elsewhere. Children who exercise feel fitter and more energized because of their body's ability to detoxify.

Active children breathe better and sweat more. Breathing and sweating are great ways to detoxify the body and help it keep itself "clean."

Children increase their over-all fitness through exercise.

Exercise Improves Mental Health

Exercise enhances the brain's metabolism. Studies show that active children have improved memory as a result of better brain function.

Moderate, fun-oriented exercise literally burns off excess harmful hormones and, at the same time, increases the release of beneficial ones. One of the beneficial hormones acts as neurotransmitter for establishing new memories.

Active children have the ability to concentrate much better, even at the end of a long school day.

Studies report that exercise decreases anxiety, reduces depression, and improves mood and outlook in children. In addition, their quality of sleep is improved.

Perhaps most importantly, physical activity develops children's self-esteem and confidence. Their ability to overcome challenging situations improves and they simply enjoy a better, sunnier outlook on life. In addition, our adolescent children can develop further social skills such as leadership and empathy.
To parents and educators: Your efforts to encourage our children to exercise more and instill in them the wisdom of good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle will yield years of dividends in these young people's lives. (...and the benefits mentioned are for adults too.)

To YOU CHILDREN: I wish you enjoyment of all your outdoor activities, your exercise, and your school! We are always with you!
Reference:
(1) Gavin ML (Medical Editor, KidsHealth.org), Dowshen SA (Chief Medical Editor, KidsHealth.org), and Izenberg N (Editor-in-Chief and Founder, KidsHealth.org): Fit KIDS. 1st edition, DK Publishing, Inc., New York, NY 2004.
Reading Suggestions:

1. A Head Start on a Lifetime of Wellbeing-Questions from Fit Teens Answered by Uta Pippig

2. Remember, even champions once were beginners. Uta describes her early days in an awesome sport that has the advantage of keeping you fit without requiring much more than a pair of running shoes, some time, somewhere to run... and a little love for it. When I Started Running: Lasting Lessons, Chasing Dreams, and Fond Memories

Updated June 1, 2016
Updated February 15, 2015
Updated March 3, 2013
Updated April 1, 2011

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Our children are our future-understanding and supporting their natural yearning for physical activity will help lead them to a lifetime of happy and healthy living. If we joyfully teach them how to include healthy exercise from the early stages of their development, we will be giving our children a gift that will endure throughout their lives.

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Story at-a-glance -

A review of 14 studies has demonstrated that the more physically active schoolchildren are, the better they do academically.

One US test program at Naperville Central High School powerfully illustrated this point two years ago. Students who participated in a dynamic morning exercise program nearly doubled their reading scores while math scores increased 20-fold.

Exercise encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity by causing nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage. This is true for all age groups.

To get your kids moving, limit the amount of time your child spends watching TV or playing computer and video games, and to replace these sedentary activities with active ones. Overweight and obese children need at least 30 minutes of exercise each day, and may benefit from closer to 60 minutes.

High-intensity interval training is the ideal form of exercise for children. Intermittent bouts of activity with pauses in between is entirely natural for the human body, and kids will spontaneously resort to this type of activity when left to their own devices.

By Dr. Mercola

An extensive review of relevant research has demonstrated that the more physically active schoolchildren are, the better they do academically.

Researchers analyzed 14 studies, ranging in size from as few as 50 participants to as many as 12,000.

All of the studies involved children between the ages of 6 and 18.

According to the authors:

"Physical activity and sports are generally promoted for their positive effect on children's physical health; regular participation in physical activity in childhood is associated with a decreased cardiovascular risk in youth and adulthood. There is also a growing body of literature suggesting that physical activity has beneficial effects on several mental health outcomes, including health-related quality of life and better mood states. In addition... there is a strong belief that regular participation in physical activity is linked to enhancement of brain function and cognition, thereby positively influencing academic performance. There are several hypothesized mechanisms for why exercise is beneficial for cognition, including:
(1) (2) (3) Increased growth factors that help to create new nerve cells and support synaptic plasticity Increased levels of norepinephrine and endorphins resulting in a reduction of stress and an improvement of mood Increased blood and oxygen flow to the brain
... The increasing pressures to improve academic scores often lead to additional instructional time for subjects such as mathematics and language at the cost of time for being physically active. Given the suggested relationship and the ongoing discussions on the replacement of physical education lessons by academic subjects, we aimed to review the evidence on the longitudinal relationship between these two variables... To summarize, the literature provides inconclusive evidence on the positive longitudinal relationship between physical activity and academic performance. However, there is a strong general belief that this relationship is present, and research in this area is ongoing."

Exercise and Academic Performance

Keeping kids active at school is a superb way to increase learning, focus and even test results. As many of you reading this have likely experienced, if your mind is feeling cluttered or you're having a mid-afternoon slump, a brisk walk or a quick workout can give you a renewed sense of clarity and focus. This is certainly true for kids too.

Two years ago, ABC News reported on a special program being implemented at Naperville Central High School, where students could take part in a dynamic gym class at the beginning of the day, and had access to exercise bikes and balls throughout the day in their classrooms. The results were astounding. Those who participated nearly doubled their reading scores, and math scores increased 20-fold!

Research has shown that after 30 minutes on the treadmill, students solve problems up to 10 percent more effectively.

Although it's becoming more widely known that physical activity has a direct result on brain function, many schools in the US are removing rather than improving their phys ed programs... This means it's up to you to encourage your child to stay active after school and on weekends in order to reap the wonderful brain-boosting benefits that exercise has to offer.

How Exercise Boosts Brain Function

Exercise encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity by causing nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage. Animal tests have also illustrated that during exercise their nerve cells release proteins known as neurotrophic factors. One in particular, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health, and has a direct benefit on brain functions, including learning. Further, exercise provides protective effects to your brain through:

The production of nerve-protecting compounds

Greater blood flow to your brain

Improved development and survival of neurons

Decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases

A 2010 study on primates published in Neuroscience also revealed that regular exercise not only improved blood flow to the brain, but also helped the monkeys learn new tasks twice as quickly as non-exercising monkeys; a benefit the researchers believe would hold true for people as well.

Other Health Benefits of Regular Exercise

There's absolutely no doubt that kids need exercise, and that most kids aren't getting enough. Less than one-third of kids aged 6 to 17 get at least 20 minutes of daily exercise in one form or another. This is tragic, considering the multitude of short- and long-term health benefits your child can gain from a regular exercise regimen, including:

How to Get Your Kids Moving

First, it's imperative to limit the amount of time your child spends watching TV, or playing computer and video games, and to replace some of these sedentary activities with exercise. Overweight and obese children need at least 30 minutes of exercise each day, and may benefit from closer to 60 minutes. But even if your child is not overweight, you should encourage him or her to take part in physically engaging activities after school and on the weekends. There are plenty to choose from, from sports and dance classes to gymnastics, bike riding and playing tag with friends.

Allow your child to choose activities that appeal to them, and which are age appropriate. Remember that the trick to getting kids interested in exercise at a young age is to keep it fun. Also keep in mind that spontaneous bouts of exercise throughout the day is actually the ideal way of doing it.

Your child does not need to log 30-60 minutes in the gym or in a specific exercise class, unless that's really what they want to do. A game of tag here, a bike ride there... Short bursts of activity with periods of rest in between- this is actually the way your body was designed to move! And kids will typically fall into this behavior quite spontaneously, as long as they're outdoors, and not cooped up in front of a TV or computer screen... Like adults, kids also need variety in their exercise routines to reap the greatest rewards, so be sure your child is getting:

Interval training

Strength training

Stretching

Core-building activities

This may sound daunting, but if your child participates in a gymnastics class, sprints around the backyard after the dog often and rides his bike after school, he's covered. Also remember that acting as a role model by staying active yourself is one of the best ways to motivate and inspire your kids. If your child sees you embracing exercise as a positive and important part of your lifestyle, they will naturally follow suit. Plus, it's easy to plan active activities that involve the whole family and double up as fun ways to spend time together. Hiking, bike riding, canoeing, swimming and sports are all great options.

Think of it this way ... by taking the time to get your kids interested in exercise now, you're giving them a gift that will keep them healthy and happy for the rest of their lives.

What about Sprint 8 for Kids?

As I mentioned earlier, intermittent bouts of exercise, mimicking the hunter-gatherers from our ancestral past, is actually the ideal form of exercise and is a key component of my comprehensive Peak Fitness program. This component is called Sprint 8, and this high-intensity, short burst-type exercise is perhaps the most natural of all exercises for children. In fact, when left to their own devices, children will do this naturally - going all out for short bursts of time, followed by longer "recovery" periods. You also see animals doing the same thing.

Humans were simply not designed to run at a steady pace for extended periods of time, and you almost never see that type of behavior in the wild either. The research is so clear about the superior benefits of this type of exercise - which mimics natural behavior -- that the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine have now changed their exercise cardio guidelines from slow but steady aerobic cardio to high-intensity interval training.

Sprint 8 Instructions

During Sprint 8 exercises you raise your heart rate up to your anaerobic threshold (220 minus your age) for 20 to 30 seconds, followed by a 90-second recovery period. Depending on your child's current level of fitness, he may need to work his way up to 8 cycles. I recommend starting with 2-4 cycles, and gradually increasing to 8.

There are no rules for the specific manner in which this is achieved-your child could do this running in the backyard, or using a treadmill, elliptical machine, or recumbent bike (provided your child is old enough to use such machines safely, of course), or they could do it bicycling outdoors. Here are the core principles:

1. Warm up for three minutes

2. Then, go all out, as hard as you can for 30 seconds

3. Recover for 90 seconds

4. Repeat 7 more times, for a total of 8 repetitions

5. Cool down for a few minutes afterwards by cutting down your intensity by 50-80 percent.

For more in-depth information about Sprint 8, please review this previous article.

Know that Sprint 8 exercises have a number of health benefits that you simply cannot achieve with any other type of exercise. For adults over 30, the most important of these is the natural production of human growth hormone (HGH), which is essential for strength, overall fitness, and longevity. Naturally, children and teens don't need to worry too much about producing HGH, but high-intensity interval training can still provide magnificent benefits for this age group, as it can dramatically improve fat loss and helps build muscle. It also dramatically improves athletic speed and performance, which can greatly benefit aspiring youth athletes.

Overall, Sprint 8 exercises will allow your child (and you!) to achieve her fitness goals much faster.

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Exercise Benefits Children's Brain Function

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A review of 14 studies has demonstrated that the more physically active schoolchildren are, the better they do academically. One US test program at Naperville Central High School powerfully illustrated this point two years ago. Students who participated in a dynamic morning exercise program nearly doubled their reading scores while math scores increased 20-fold.

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When most adults think about exercise, they imagine working out in the gym, running on a treadmill, or lifting weights.

But for kids, exercise means playing and being physically active. Kids exercise when they have gym class at school, during recess, at dance class or soccer practice, while riding bikes, or when playing tag.

The Many Benefits of Exercise

Everyone can benefit from regular exercise. Active kids will have:

Besides enjoying the health benefits of regular exercise, fit kids sleep better. They're also better able to handle physical and emotional challenges - from running to catch a bus to studying for a test.

The Three Elements of Fitness

If you've ever watched kids on a playground, you've seen the three elements of fitness in action when they:

1. run away from the kid who's "it" (endurance)

2. cross the monkey bars (strength)

3. bend down to tie their shoes (flexibility)

Parents should encourage their kids to do a variety of activities so that they can work on all three elements.

Endurance develops when kids regularly get

aerobicactivity. During aerobic exercise, large muscles are moving, the heart beats faster, and a person breathes harder. Aerobic activity strengthens the heart and improves the body's ability to deliver oxygen to all its cells.

Aerobic exercise can be fun for both adults and kids. Aerobic activities include:

Improving strength doesn't have to mean lifting weights. Instead, kids can do push-ups, stomach crunches, pull-ups, and other exercises to help tone and strengthen muscles. They also improve their strength when they climb, do a handstand, or wrestle.

Stretching exercises help improve flexibility, allowing muscles and joints to bend and move easily through their full range of motion. Kids get chances every day to stretch when they reach for a toy, practice a split, or do a cartwheel.

The Sedentary Problem

Kids and teens are sitting around a lot more than they used to. They spend hours every day in front of a screen (TVs, smartphones, tablets, and other devices) looking at a variety of media (TV shows, videos, movies, games). Too much screen time and not enough physical activity add to the problem of childhood obesity.

One of the best ways to get kids to be more active is to limit the amount of time spent in sedentary activities, especially watching TV or other screens. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents:

Put limits on the time spent using media, which includes TV, social media, and video games. Media should not take the place of getting enough sleep and being active.

Limit screen time to 1 hour a day or less for children 2 to 5 years old.

Discourage any screen time, except video-chatting, for kids younger than 18 months.

Choose high-quality programming and watch it with your kids to help them understand what they're seeing.

Keep TVs, computers, and video games out of children's bedrooms.

Turn off screens during mealtimes.

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How Much Exercise Is Enough?

Parents should make sure that their kids get enough exercise. So, how much is enough? Kids and teens should get 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily.

Toddlers and preschool children should play actively several times a day. Toddlers should get at least 60 minutes active play every day and preschoolers should have at least 120 minutes active play every day. This time should include planned, adult-led physical activity and unstructured active free play.

Young children should not be inactive for long periods of time - no more than 1 hour unless they're sleeping. And school-age children should not be inactive for periods longer than 2 hours.

Raising Fit Kids

Combining regular physical activity with a healthy diet is the key to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some tips for raising fit kids:

Help your kids do in a variety of age-appropriate activities.

Set a regular schedule for physical activity.

Make being active a part of daily life, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Embrace a healthier lifestyle yourself, so you'll be a positive role model for your family.

Be active together as a family.

Keep it fun, so your kids will come back for more.

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When most adults think about exercise, they imagine working out in the gym, running on a treadmill, or lifting weights. But for kids, exercise means playing and being physically active. Kids exercise when they have gym class at school, during recess, at dance class or soccer practice, while riding bikes, or when playing tag.

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My goal is to become an elementary PE teacher