The importance of fitness for kids lies in, among other things, the encouragement of an active and healthy lifestyle, as well as promoting preventive health care for kids and the prevention of childhood obesity. Numerous studies have shown that the habits and lifestyle choices people develop as children tend to continue throughout their lives. This means that young people who are encouraged to live active, healthy lifestyles will more likely continue to demonstrate good decision making skills regarding their health and well-being into adulthood.
Since many children have exceptional metabolisms that allow them to utilize the food they eat as efficiently as possible, exercise can be even more effective for kids. Fitness for kids should not mean two hours at the gym, three days a week or a focus on muscle gain. It can be one hour of active playing outside every single day and should be a fun experience for kids and parents alike.
A number of illnesses and diseases, especially heart disease, can often be best treated through preventive measures aimed at avoiding the problem in the first place. Among the cheapest and easiest forms of preventive medicine is living a healthy, active lifestyle. Fitness for kids is important because it can help children avoid the beginnings of unhealthy habits and lifestyles that can develop into serious health issues later in life. The difficulty of promoting fitness for kids can be that children are rarely able to fully consider future actions and consequences and so are not often motivated by future health concerns.
One of the best ways to combat this problem is to disguise kids’ workouts and fitness as activities that are fun and enjoyable. For many adults, fitness means finding time in a typically already busy schedule to go to a gym or workout according to some fitness plan or exercise regimen. Fitness for kids does not need to be anything even resembling the regimented and too-often utilitarian nature of adult fitness.
Most kids are already equipped with one of the best tools available regarding kid fitness: the desire to play. Playing outside, especially games like tag where children are often running and moving constantly, can be one of the best ways to promote fitness for kids. These activities are fun for children and adults alike and can provide an excellent workout. Perhaps even more important than the actual workout is the association created in the mind of the child between physical exercise and enjoyment. Fitness for kids who are raised to see exercise as fun and games can be a source of enjoyment and not the dull or laborious task that too many adults turn it into.
