By Marla Urso (original article on activekids.com)
Let’s start with the plain truth: Children are not very active. Children today are more sedentary, fatter and unhealthier than previous generations. Today, one in three American children are considered overweight or obese. Not only does increased weight have a lasting effect on a child’s psychological well-being, an obese child has an increased risk of developing asthma, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and decreased health-related quality of life.
There is no debate that regular physical activity is essential for normal development and reduced risk of disease later in a child’s life. Additionally, studies show that active kids become active adults.
Despite the compelling evidence for increased physical activity in children and adolescents, it is difficult not to become confused or overwhelmed with the magnitude of information regarding children and exercise. Like adults, there is no one-size-fits all approach to exercise. The purpose of this article is to address the basics regarding children and exercise. Most importantly, it sheds light on one of the greatest aspects of exercise that adults can also benefit from-in more instances than not, “play” is considered exercise. How can anyone resist?
How Much Should a Child Exercise?
The United States Department of Health and Human Services states that, in general, youth should participate in 60 minutes or more of planned physical activity every day to promote overall health and wellness. This does not include the additional 30 to 60 minutes of ‘free play’ that is also recommended for toddlers through school aged children. The suggested intensity of planned physical activity is moderate to vigorous, which can be interpreted as a 5 to 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 with one being no effort (sitting) and 10 being maximal effort.
Since free play is at the child’s discretion, while it may not fit into any specific type of exercise, it does exercise a child’s imagination, exploration and creativity. Both planned physical activity and free play are important for a child’s development.
While many adults can spend their leisure time taking part in 60 minutes of a grueling workout, children cannot. Play must be the foundation. Children who get moving, balancing, climbing and jumping early will develop strength, mobility, flexibility and agility. Each of these assets will teach a child how to handle their own body as it moves through space and time. As part of their nature, children will gravitate towards dangerous things. Having these skills may reduce the chance of serious injury in that first scuffle.
What are the Elements of Fitness for a Child?
Similar to adults, children should engage in activity that helps to improve endurance, strength, balance and flexibility. While these activities tend to be more structured in adults, they are easily replaced by child-appropriate activities. For example, the game of tag is a great way for a child to build endurance, stamina and speed. Strengthening activities include playing on the monkey bars, climbing (trees, ropes, fences), and jumping (on, off and over things).
The most effective kind of endurance training for children is high-intensity continuous or interval training.
Balance is a fundamental skill for children to learn, as it will possibly help to prevent falls and for those falls that do occur, help with landing properly. Something as simple as lining planks of wood in the yard to act as a balance beam can be a fun and easy activity. Navigating cracks in the sidewalk and prolonged standing on one foot are also simple and effective means of improving overall balance and kinesthetic awareness.
Flexibility is also an important element of a child’s fitness program, but the most easily incorporated due to their lifestyle. Everyday activities such as bending down to tie a shoe, crawling, cartwheels, tumbling and sitting cross-legged are considered helpful in improving and maintaining flexibility.
How Much Endurance Exercise is Too Much for a Child?
One benefit of increased awareness of physical activity for children is the number of activities geared for young people that were traditionally ‘adult-only’ events. Road races, triathlons, and bike races are now kid-friendly. However, there is some evolving controversy over the amount of distance that is too much for a child. This largely stems from the fact that aerobic power in children does not adapt to endurance exercise as well as adults. Pre-puberty, the most effective kind of endurance training for children will be high-intensity continuous or interval training, (8 to 10 on the intensity scale) with a duration of 20 to 30 minutes.
After puberty, children tend to adapt to endurance exercise programs more like adults. At this time, activities of lower intensity and longer duration can be safely incorporated as long as the rate of progression is conservative (no more than a 10 percent increase per week in volume and intensity).
Is Resistance Training Safe?
For the older child, research indicates that appropriately prescribed and supervised resistance training can offer unique benefits. Currently, there is no scientific evidence to support the notion that resistance training might hinder growth and maturation in children.
As a result, youth resistance training is now accepted by medical, fitness, and sport organizations. School-based programs have been designed to incorporate exercise that improves muscular strength. The research that has been published in the past decade regarding children who lift weights has shown that similar to adults, children who lift weights have stronger bones (extending into adulthood), increased lean mass, improved insulin sensitivity, and overall better health. However, also similar to adults, excessive loads, improper technique and poor programming can lead to injury in children.
How Do you Incorporate Resistance Training, Safely?
The most important aspect of any resistance-training program is form. If you are not an expert in proper form, it does not hurt to get assistance from a certified professional who can teach you and your child the proper form. It’s recommended that children first learn each exercise without resistance (no weights).
Once the child has mastered the proper form, weights can be introduced slowly. Children should perform smooth, controlled movements and it is best for them to lift for higher reps and lower weights. Two sets of each exercise, one to two times per week, are adequate.
When it comes to technique, stress the importance of exhaling when performing the hardest part of a repetition. Form and breathing should be perfected before the skill and intensity is adjusted.
Compound movements (i.e. a squat and shoulder press at the same time), may be too difficult at first and can compromise form. The resistance-training program should contain basic exercises for the large muscle groups and new exercises and weights should be introduced every three to four weeks. Heavy single repetitions or ‘max outs’ are contraindicated until later adolescence.
Children should never lift alone. In addition to safety reasons, oftentimes enthusiasm results in an attempt at a ‘max out’, a guaranteed prescription for injury.
Strength training does not need to take place in the gym with lots of equipment. Resistance bands and body weight are just as effective as free weights in developing muscular strength.
Resistance bands can be purchased for less than $20 at any sporting goods store. This will give younger children a chance to work on technique before adding too much weight. Resistance bands can be tied to doorknobs or positioned below the feet for various exercises that stress the upper and lower body. When body weight is the only equipment available, push-ups, crunches, lunges, squats, burpees and box jumps, are no less effective in building muscular strength than free weights in children.
Bottom Line
Unstructured and structured play promotes physical and psychological benefits in children. There is evidence that healthy habits and enjoyment of physical activity at a young age will provide a lifetime of positive results.
The most important concept is to incorporate physical activity that the child enjoys. Similar to adults, these are the activities that they will continue to do. Adults should join in on the activity too. Playing tag or climbing on the monkey bars with your child may remind you just how much fun exercise can be.