For a number of reasons, the 21st century lifestyle is becoming increasingly sedentary. The demands of the job market mean that more and more people are driving or taking public transport to work instead of walking like previous generations did. Our jobs themselves are becoming increasingly deskbound, and we’re spending less of our free time out and about and more of it in front of the television or another device like a laptop, tablet or smartphone. While it’s not surprising that many of us are more sedentary than ever, few of us are aware of just how dangerous this sort of lifestyle can be.
With this in mind, we owe it to the younger generations to extol the virtues of an active healthy lifestyle, as well as a diet that is full of nutrient rich veggies and fruits and low in processed foods, refined carbohydrates and saturated fats. There are many ways in which you can get your kids active, indeed they are as varied as the tastes and preferences of kids themselves. That said, every parent knows what a fool’s errand it can be to get kids into something that doesn’t resonate with them. Looking at the benefits, however, it becomes clear that getting kids off the sofa can only ever be a good thing.
Benefits of regular exercise
Many kids are at their happiest playing video games, reading or engaging with friends through social media, and all of these activities are absolutely fine. They should not be demonised or discouraged, rather they should be part of a balanced lifestyle rich in varied activities. Regular exercise not only makes children fitter and healthier, it can help to improve their concentration in their academic pursuits, can engender teamwork and leadership skills as well as introducing them to a varied mixture of new friends from whom they can learn. Involvement in sport and sporting teams can also give them an appreciation of the relationship between effort and reward especially when they make special achievements and earn trophies and medals. Indeed, you can also give kids medals of your own accord by going to trophiesplusmedals.co.uk. The trick, of course, lies in finding the right activities for your kids. We’re going to take team sports like netball, football, hockey, rugby etc. as a given and suggest some less conventional extra curricular activities…
Dance
Dancing is a great form of exercise for boys and girls of all ages. It’s great cardiovascular exercise as well as promoting strength and flexibility, plus the act of dancing just makes us feel great! The sheer range of dance styles from ballet to jazz to contemporary to hip hop shows that there’s something for just about everyone.
Yoga
Many people think of yoga as the pursuit of older people who want to regain their flexibility but nothing could be further from the truth. Yoga has many great benefits for kids, giving them not only increased strength and flexibility but better concentration, great stress and anger management through breathing and movement and improved self-image.
Martial arts
A lot of parents assume that children who learn martial arts will be punching and kicking each other in the playground the very next day but this is usually pretty far from the truth. In reality, martial arts are great for teaching kids, discipline, restraint, respect and civility, as well as being a great workout for strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness.
