Physical fitness is one of the important components for keeping are bodies strong and healthy. Our bodies need a balance between food intake and physical activity if not the extra calories that are not used for energy will be stored as fat. To have normal growth children need physical fitness along with a healthy diet (Robertson, 2010). Physical fitness promotes healthy weight, better self-esteem, healthy bones, muscles, and joints. Exercise can help children fell more relaxed and help them sleep better (Health and Wellness, 2006).. As a child becomes physically fit they gain more strength and flexibility and this helps them when they are learning to run, climb, and throw (Robertson, 2010).
Children who do not get physical activity can become obese or overweight. Children can become depressed and develop low self-esteem when they become overweight or obese. They can develop diabetes and be susceptible to other illnesses like a cold or the flu. Children who do not get enough exercise are susceptible to developing high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Adults can help children become physically active by encouraging them with games and fun activities. Preschool children are learning to walk, run, skip, and jump and they can develop these skills through play by watching the other kids and the teacher doing the movements. A teacher can play music throughout the day to get the kids moving and can have the children repeat what she does. To develop their fine motor skills children can play catch and toss where they pass bean bags to each other (Goodway & Robinson, 2006). Children should be taught at an early age all the benefits of exercise and the health issues that can develop with inadequate physical activity.
I believe that it is important for children to be physically active and I have been upset with the decline in the amounts of time that children get physical education in schools. In the early childhood years children do not receive the appropriate amount of experiences to develop fundamental motor skills and may start kindergarten with developmental delays in their motor skills (Goodway & Branta 2003). This quote caught my interest since it has bothered me that we have a rise in obese children, childhood diabetes, and high cholesterol at an early age but we cut back on physical education. Some children only get exercise when they are at school with all the lovely electronic games that teach children to sit all day.
Children who are encouraged to be physically active will develop a healthy habit that will continue through adulthood. Physical activity has so many health benefits and these benefits will stay with us and help us become healthier adults who are less likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Stress can cause a lot physical illnesses such as a low immune system making it harder for the body to fight germs. Physical activity helps children and adults relieve stress and that can help their immune system to become stronger. Exercise can also build protection for the back muscles that help support the spine (Robertson, 2010). Physical fitness helps a child’s self-esteem by releasing endorphins that are a chemical I the brain that is responsible for making people happy and according to Web MD they also act as an analgesics that lessons the affects of pain.
References
Goodway, J.D., & C.F. Branta. 2003. Influence of a motor skill intervention on fundamental
motor skill development of disadvantaged preschool children. Research Quarterly for
Exercise and Sport 74: 36–47.
Goodway, J. D., & Robinson, L. E. (2006, March). SKIPing toward an active start: Promoting
physical activity in preschoolers. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved
http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200605/GoodwayBTJ.pdf
Health and Wellness. (2006). Physical Exercise and Getting a Restful Sleep. Retreived on
October 10, 2010 from
http://www.healthwellness1.com/fitnessexercise/physical-exercise-and-sleep.html
Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (4th ed).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Web MD. (2010). Exercise and Depression. Retrieved on October 10, 2010 from
http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression
Rebecca, I am extremly impressed with your post about Physical Fitness. This current generation seems to be on the lazy side; they want things done for them or brought to them rather than getting up and getting it themselves.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that children today are being sat in front of a tv as there babysitters, instead of being encouraged to go outside and run around, have fun, and just all around be KIDS!
Children that I see on a daily basis are known to be picky eaters. If they are given something that they don't want to eat, the parents seem to give in and give them junk food to "please" them rather than encouraging and or changing the presentation of the "healthy" foods they provide their child with.
In each of your situations stated within your post, is clear evidence as to why children become overweight and sometimes even leading to obesity. I agree that exercise and fitness classes should begin within the early childhood centers/preschools. I'm a firm believer that "if you train up a child in the way he/she should go, that when they get old they will not depart from it" (Spiritual Quote- Proverbs 22:6/ New King James Version)
Hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI really liked this post. You gave very good examples on the importance of physical activity.
I also agree with you that children should be educated about physical activity at an early age. I believe that it is through those first years that children get into the habit of doing something and learning. So teaching children and encouraging them to be physically active is very crucial to children's health now and in the future.