Why physical activity is important for children

Physical activity is important for everyone and that’s definitely true for children. Of course, parents have nothing to worry about. Children are always on the go. Running around the living room, garden or playground is a pretty good workout for a kid. But what else should they be doing and why is it important that children as young as 3 have some form of physical activity in their lives?

Below we go over the benefits of physical activity and answer some common queries about mental health. If you’re looking to instruct children in physical activity, we have the course just for you.

Benefits of Physical Activity for children.

Strengthens the heart:

Arguably the most important muscle in the body is the heart, so it’s important we treat it right from a young age. Exercise strengthens the heart and helps ward off possible illnesses like heart disease.

Keeps your arteries clear:

As well as strengthening your heart it also helps to reduce the amount of cholesterol and fats in their blood. Exercising increases the flexibility of the walls of blood vessels and helps to lower blood pressure. Reducing the risks of illness and disease.

Strengthens the lungs:

The lungs are a vital organ in our bodies and strengthening them is important. It also helps to increase the efficiency of their little lungs. By regularly exercising they are able to prevent the natural decline of oxygen intake.

Reduces blood sugar:

Regular exercising can help to prevent sugar from accumulating in the blood, triggering muscles to take up more glucose from the bloodstream and use it as energy. It also helps to reduce the risk of diabetes. Like many of the points here this is also paired with having a healthy diet.

Healthy weight:

Exercising can help keep your child at a healthy weight. Having a healthy weight is important as it helps the heart and it has good benefits especially if your child is diabetic. Being physical will help strengthen their bodies and help them to maintain a healthy lifestyle, in an enjoyable way.

Strengthening the bones:

When exercising, your bones start to become stronger due to the physical stress they are put under. Strengthening your bones is vital to becoming stronger and it helps to ward off diseases like Osteoporosis in later life. This is where your bones start to lose their density, weaken, become porous and fragile.

Improves energy levels:

By exercising, your overall energy levels will improve. It will help them to engage more and to be more active and present. They will have a good balance of energy. Not going around with excess energy and being sufficiently tired that they get good sleep but increasing their overall energy levels and tolerance for exercise.

Improving your child’s mental health:

Another big concern for young people these days is mental health and the increase in the number of children suffering from it. Exercise has been proven to increase serotonin and endorphins. Serotonin makes you happy and we release endorphins when we are excited about eating our favourite foods, doing something we enjoy or we have achieved something.

Endorphins also help to reduce pain and discomfort, therefore making exercise more enjoyable for your child, improving their mental and physical state. The mental state of your child is very important because no one wants an unhappy child. Exercising is one of the easiest ways to help your child improve their mental health.