By Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe, MD, FAAP
Your Kid’s Health, The Salem News
May 20, 2003
Kids are remarkable in their ability to turn anything into a playground. My three year-old nephew, H, never stops moving. I’m convinced he is related to the Energizer Bunny! In a hotel restaurant recently, he literally ran circles around every table, laughing and smiling until he was finally caught. Later that day we went for a walk and he gleefully jumped in the air with one arm held high yelling “up, up and away!” as Superman. He told me I could be Batman or Wonder Woman. If only we could bottle this energy and primal urge to run and play – all our exercise woes as older kids and adults would just melt away!
It’s a fact that kids are not as active today as in generations past. Hectic lives with dual-working parents and complicated daycare/after school plans leave little time for old-fashioned running around. According to the American Heart Association, kids in the United States are much less fit than kids a generation ago, thus causing some serious health implications, especially for their hearts, which become affected by weight gain (which can lead to obesity), high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Here is the other very real issue: out-of-shape kids become out-of-shape adults; and, these adults are the ones more likely to suffer strokes and heart attacks at young ages.
In addition to the heart-healthy benefits of exercise, kids, and adults, with active bodies are usually more energetic and happier than those not as active. The better children feel about themselves, the more interest they will be in participating with school and friends
How much activity should kids have? Just like with food, the overall guidelines are similar for both kids and adults, and have been put into a special “Children’s Activity Pyramid”. You can check this out yourself at: www.muextension.missouri.edu/explore/hesguide/foodnut/gh1800.htm. The pyramid is designed for kids, and is developmentally appropriate as well as practical – even for the busiest of families. You can print and post the colorful guide, as well as a blank pyramid for your kids to fill in with their own activities.
From the tip to the base, here is the “Children’s Activity Pyramid”:
- Reduce time spent with TV and video/computer games; don’t sit for 30 minutes or more at a time
- Two to three times a week, engage in playtime and fun activities like dancing, martial arts, swimming, and tumbling
- Three to five times a week, engage in real aerobic activities, from biking to soccer to old-fashioned games like tag and hide-and-seek (20 minutes or more is the goal for these activities.)
- Everyday, as much as possible, play outside, use the stairs, help around the house and in the yard, pick up toys, walk, etc.
- Have fun!
Luckily for us, kids have an inner urge to move – what we need to do is tap into that and help our kids stay active as they get more and more captivated by the world of technology. If kids see the adults in their lives exercising and limiting sedentary activities, they will be more likely to do so. TV shows, videos, computer games all have their place but should be a small part of any child’s day – less than two hours per day is the “official” recommendation. Try a family challenge for a few days to see who can do this the longest – initially it may be hard to resist the temptation to plop on the couch and flick on a show. But, as with anything, the more you do the more it will become second nature!
Here’s to a healthy and more active week!
© 2005 Pediatrics Now.
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