Why Should Kids Exercise?

Why should your kids exercise? After all, they need to focus on studying and keeping up with grades and then they want their free time to mostly be focused on social networking, video gaming, and internet exploration. You Tube could now be called an "online course" based on all the time the average teen spends viewing the latest hot video!!

We know that exercise can help kids maintain their weight. It increases bone density and keeps arterial blood flowing and circulating. It certainly has been shown to reduce the risk of a variety of diseases AND it often helps with immune resilience. Well a recent study also confirms something that health experts have suspected for some time. Having "low aerobic fitness" and "obesity" can be two separate risk factors for lower standardized test scores in children. A study looked at a group of 5th, 6th and 9th graders attending California schools. Aerobic fitness testing (a 1 mile walk/run) was done to assess their fitness levels. The children’s individual BMIs (body mass indexes) were also measured. Experts then obtained their standardized test score results.

The kids who scored longer exercise times (meaning that it took longer for them to complete a mile run/walk) and/or whose BMIs were higher and above the "normal" range clearly showed lower scores on the reading, math and language tests when compared to kids who met the standard exercise times and who were closer to or at acceptable weights. Most experts think more research is needed but this is a clear "call to action" supporting Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program. We need to get kids moving and we need to help them avoid obesity. One parenting model suggests that for every hour of video/TV time – your child needs to participate in an hour of some form of exercise. Programs like HealthCorps can also inspire teens to eat healthier, make better food and beverage choices, while improving their self esteem through mentoring efforts and support of more physical activity.

Study source: J Pediatrics 2010, 156:711-718