Do your kids exercise?
Regular exercise has been associated with psychological benefits in young people by improving their control over symptoms of anxiety and depression. Also, participation in physical activity can help in the social development of young people by building self-confidence, and social interaction.
Additionally, physically active young people tend to adopt other healthy behaviors (i.e. avoidance of tobacco, alcohol, and drug use) and demonstrate higher academic performance at school.
Some of the benefits of regular exercise include:
Develop healthy musculoskeletal tissues (i.e. bones, muscles and joints).
Develop a healthy cardiovascular system (i.e. heart and lungs).
Develop neuromuscular efficiency (i.e. coordination and movement control).
Maintain a healthy body weight.
Improved cognitive performance (e.g., concentration, memory) among students.
Recommendations for physical activity according to the CDC:
Aerobic: Most of the 60 minutes or more per day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity on at least 3 days a week.
Muscle-strengthening: As part of their 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days a week.
Bone-strengthening: As part of their 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days a week.
Kid's Successes:
I have been training kids in martial arts and fitness for over 30 years. I have seen first hand the positive changes these young people received from regular exercise.
A few of my favorite kids stories includes:
A juvenile delinquent drop out, who not only went back to school, but went on to college and now works in the fitness industry (his mom still calls to thank me for training him).
A child from a broken home, who was anti-social. After training with me for a couple of years, he went on to, and graduate from, West Point.
And a “lost child" who suffered from depression and autism. By working alongside his healthcare professionals, we were able to help him get a full-ride scholarship to a Big Ten University.
These kids came from all different walks of life, and family backgrounds, but there was one thing they all had in common: By making exercise a part of their lives, they were able to change their circumstances for the better.
Do you want help setting up a physical fitness program for your child? Let me know, I'm here to help.
You can also check out my fitness training programs here https://www.theshortfight.com/fitness
To read some studies on why children should exercise, check out this info from the Centers for Disease Control:
Can you help me? Would you leave me a review for my book on Amazon? This will help me to continue providing free training for you. Here is the link: The Short Fight, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0948LNX5M
Thanks so much!
For more workouts to improve your performance for fitness and self-defense, get my book, The Short Fight, on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0948LNX5M
You will also get free access to all my exercise and self-defense instructional videos by signing up at www.theshortfight.com
Until next time, Stay Fit!
Lawrence Castanon,
Author, The Short Fight