Exercise For Overweight and Obese Kids

http://www.DrWeigh.com

Every Little Bit Counts!

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children engage in sixty minutes of vigorous exercise, at least five days a week. While this may seem like a lot, it does not have to be done all at once. Your child can break the hour up into two thirty-minute sessions, four fifteen-minute sessions, or even six ten-minute sessions. As long at the daily total is sixty minutes, the actual breakdown of time does not matter.

There are many reasons to exercise. Not only is physical activity an essential part of weight management, but it also lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes, reduces cholesterol levels, alleviates arthritis pain, prevents or delays osteoporosis, and relieves the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Your child's overall health greatly benefits from a regular exercise regimen.

Fitness for 4 - 5 Year Olds
Take advantage of your child's natural tendency to be active. Practice basic movement skills, such as running and jumping. Encourage your child to participate in a variety of physical activities in these early years. Engage your child in activities that are fun and challenging, but not beyond his/her abilities. Try teaching your child to hop, skip, jump forward, balance on one foot, play tag, catch a ball, or perform somersaults. Encourage bike riding with training wheels, dancing, playing freeze dance, learning how to swim, playing T-ball, and engaging in obstacle-course games and treasure hunts.

Fitness for 6 - 12 Year Olds
At this age, children need to build strength, coordination, and confidence. Take as many opportunities as possible to encourage active exercise and make sure your child is involved in a variety of activities, sports, and games that he/she enjoys. If your child does not care for organized team sports, try other challenging activities such as karate, fencing, golf, bicycling, skateboarding or tennis.
Remember that fitness should be fun at any age! Kids who enjoy sports and exercise tend to stay active throughout their lives!

Go for a Ride!
A leisurely bike ride for 30 minutes can burn up to 135 calories; fast bike riding can burn up to 297 calories! This is a perfect way to get in a daily dose of cardio and have fun with friends at the same time.

Walk It Off!
Brisk walking is a good way to get around town, boost one's heart rate, and stay physically fit. Walking at 2 mph in 30 minutes can burn up to 95 calories, 3 mph 148 calories, and 4 mph 176 calories!!! Walking also strengthens bones and muscles and improves stamina and your fitness. Your child can burn more calories by increasing the intensity of the workout. Try walking up and down hills to take it up a notch!

Dance Like the Stars!
Don't underestimate the calorie-burn of dancing around the house. Aerobic dancing for 30 minutes can burn up to 202 calories and is a lot of fun.

Lap It Up
Swimming is a great workout. Swimming laps for 20 minutes a day builds endurance and strengthens muscles. Light to moderate swimming for 30 minutes can burn from 214 - 250 calories. Swimming is the perfect exercise to work the heart and lungs and increase flexibility.

Start Climbing!
Even if you don't have a Stairmaster in the house, you can still get a great stair-climbing workout. Climbing any staircase will do! So ditch those elevators and opt for the stairs! Your child can even walk up and down the stairs in the house. Climbing for about 30 minutes can burn up to 200 calories!

Shoot Some Hoops!
Shooting some hoops or playing a game of basketball with friends is a fun way to get some exercise in! Don't worry about your child's skill level; it's all about moving! Shooting baskets for 30 minutes will burn up to 153 calories!

Here are some ways your child can get exercise in through your daily activities.

Get out in the Garden!
Helping with the garden is another good way to be physically active. Weeding, mowing, and gardening for 30 minutes can burn up to 180 calories. Your child can burn up to 148 calories by pushing the lawn mower to cut your grass. And think of all the money you will save on the gardener!

Hooray for Housework!
Housework can burn some serious calories. For example, 30 minutes of washing floors can burn up to 150 calories! Your house gets clean and your child gets the benefit of exercise. If anybody can actually get their child to do this, please call me immediately to tell me how!

Cleaning the Car
Washing and waxing a car for 30 minutes is one of many activities that will burn to 154 calories and get the heart rate up! This is a fun Sunday morning family activity.

Yard Work!
Raking leaves for 30 minutes can really work the upper body and can burn up to 135 calories. But remember to have your child wear gloves to prevent blisters and bend at the knees to bag and move piles of leaves.

Other Household Tasks
Dusting can burn up to 85 calories in 30 minutes, doing laundry 73 calories, ironing 77 calories and washing dishes 77 calories!

* Calories burned are based on a 150 pound person.

Exercise this week!

Get out there with your child and try a new exercise or activity. Remember any activity can be turned into vigorous exercise if you give it your all. Just get moving!