One of my life long goals being in the health and fitness profession is to end the increase in childhood obesity, this is now what we see in Children across the nation. I will be competing in Miss Macomb this coming March 27th and Stopping Childhood Obesity and Inactivity is not only my passion but my selected platform of choice. If I obtain the once in a life time chance to recieve the title of Miss Macomb, I would advance to the Miss Illinois Pageant in June. Most importantly this opportunity would allow me to finally voice my opinion on this issue and get into those schools promoting my programs....such as "Ervin's Get Fit, Stay Fit", programs that I have all ready introduced to Rushville sports teams. Someone has to be proactive in this issue! Here are some facts that I think everyone should know!
P.S...more will come on my platform. I have some cool ideas I will share! =)
get your kid in action - the importance of exercise
In order to live a well-rounded healthy lifestyle physical activity should be incorporated into your child’s daily activities. Exercise helps our bodies to reach peak performance and is known to reduce health risks like cardiovascular problems. Exercise also aides in building overall strength, bone density, healthy joints and muscles all while helping to maintain a healthy weight.
In addition exercise has also been shown to help in other ways as well. Children who get the appropriate amount of daily exercise also enjoy the ability to sleep better as well as reduce stress levels.
Even given all the health benefits that come with exercise 50% of American adults still don’t get enough exercise. Just like with our nutrition, the exercise habits we create when we’re young are usually carried over into our adult life. So get your kid moving now to keep them healthy well into future.
Scary Stats:
There are some disturbing trends that are forming among children and teens as far as the level of physical activity they’re getting. Overall kids 2-19 aren’t getting nearly enough exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Below are some recent statistics on children and exercise.
As of 2006 less than one third of 15 years olds got the minimum amount of required physical activity during the week and on weekends it dropped to just 17%
On average kids spend 5 ½ hours a day on media driven sedentary activities
3 hours of the 5 ½ is spent watching television
Teens spend an average of 6 hours a day on media driven sedentary activities
1 in 3 children in America are overweight or obese
The likelihood of cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, and certain types of cancer in children is increased by obesity
Only 10% of schools offer daily physical education classes, and many of those don’t meet the time requirements of weekly exercise
How much physical activity does my child need?
Studies by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have revealed that the majority of children should be getting approximately 60 minutes of physical activity basically every day. The activity itself isn’t as important as making sure it hits on the 3 criteria of healthy exercise: strength, endurance and flexibility.
Thank you for the stats on children and obesity. I am doing my best to take small steps in changing my own life so that I can instill better health in my son. He tried and fell in love with swimming and now swims 60+ minutes a day four days a week. It has had an incredible impact on his overall energy level and his attitude.
ReplyDeleteJoin me in my journey at http://paethspath.blogspot.com/p/introduction.html as I take simple steps to change my life.
That is great! Congrats to you for being proactive. We need more of that these days. Keep it up and keep your son motivated ;)
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