GOQii

Blog

  • HOME
  • HEALTHY LIVING
  • FITNESS
  • HEALTHY RECIPES
  • USER STORIES
  • KARMA
  • BUY GOQii

September 16, 2023 By Shehnaz Shaikh 3 Comments

Do Children Need Exercise and Nutritional Care?

exercise and nutrition for childrenExercise/Physical activity is important for everyone, but more so for children and adolescents as it plays a key role in the development of their personality. Hence, it has increasingly become important to encourage a healthy lifestyle among them. Having said this how much children need to exercise depends on age.

Why Is Exercise Important For Children & Adolescents?

Exercise for children is important for both their physical and mental well-being. By staying physically active, children and adolescents can reduce the risk of stress, depression and other mental health issues. Physical activity can also help teenagers maintain a positive body image because physical activity is beneficial to the human body.

How Does Exercise Benefit Children?

  • It improves immunity
  • Helps in building better focus
  • It helps in strengthening the lungs and the cardiovascular system
  • Keeps the children in a happy mood due to the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins
  • Helps in maintaining good brain health and also helps in enhancing memory
  • Decreases the risk of developing certain diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure in later years
  • Helps in maintaining a healthy weight
  • Exercise can help children of all ages and can prevent weak bones (osteoporosis) in later years by strengthening bones and joints
  • Helps in performing well in sports

How Long Should Children Exercise For?

Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. Children and adolescents are often active in short bursts of time rather than for sustained periods of time, and these short bursts can add up to meet physical activity needs. Physical activities for children and adolescents should be developmentally-appropriate, fun, and offer variety.

Having a balanced exercise routine is good. let’s take a look at 

The three parts of a balanced exercise routine are Aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility training.

  1. Aerobic exercises

Aerobic exercises increase the heart rate and breathing rate. When you give your heart and lungs this kind of workout regularly, they get stronger. Aerobic exercises should be fun and easy exercises for children that they will love to engage in. Some of the aerobic exercises that your children will enjoy include Swimming, Skating, Cycling, Jogging, Dancing, Skipping, Football, etc. Some team sports that provide a great aerobic workout are basketball, hockey, rowing, cricket and badminton.

  1. Strength Training

Go for exercises that strengthen bones and muscles. Experts recommend that children and adolescents, ages 6 to 17, should get at least one hour of moderate to high-intensity aerobic exercise every day. Strength-training activities that build muscle should also be part of a 60-minute exercise routine on at least three days of the week.

Young people ages 13 to 17 should do a variety of moderate to vigorous physical activity for 60 minutes each day. Along with aerobic exercises like running, jogging, fast walking, circuit training, one should also include sit-ups, push-ups, lunges and squats.

Some of the Exercises Include: 

  1. Lunges: Children can improve their balance and strengthen their legs with some lunges
  2. Squats: are the best for building quads, hamstrings, and glutes, and they help to strengthen your child’s lower back as well
  3. Push-ups: can also be done on the knees or on the feet, according to the child’s ability. Don’t worry if they don’t have the form right initially

Encourage your child to Warm up before exercise and cool down after exercise to prevent muscle soreness and injury.

Warm up before exercise: Warming up before exercise prevents injury by softening the muscles and making them supple. Some warm-up exercises you can do are:

  • Slow jogging or walking
  • Stretching all the muscles they’re going to use (hold each and stretch for 8 to 10 seconds, but never until it hurts)

Cool down after exercise: Cooling down after high-intensity exercise is important for relaxing and softening the muscles. Cool down or ballistic stretch begins to lower the heart rate, improves flexibility and will speed up recovery from a workout.

Some Cool Down Examples Include: 

  1. Hamstring Stretch: The stretch helps Hamstring muscles that are on the back of the thigh 2
  2. Side Lunge: This stretch works the inner thighs
  3. Calf Stretch: This stretch feels good after running or walking.
  4. Butterfly Stretch: Children are usually quite adept to the butterfly stretch and it relaxes them well after a good physical activity.

Nutrition is Equally Important When You Exercise 

While exercise is very important, nutrition is equally important for children and adolescents to lead an active and healthy life.

Children who eat healthy, well-balanced meals and snacks will get the nutrients needed to perform well in sports. Kids and teens who play a sport that can involve 1½ to 2 hours or more of activity in a day, in particular, may need to consume more balanced nutrition to keep up with increased energy and fluid demands.

We trust that this article on exercise and nutrition for children assists you in making informed decisions about your child’s health. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below. For more on Kid’s Health check out Healthy reads. To get expert advice, speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

Search

Recent Posts

  • Prioritizing Health: Kuntal Goswami’s Post-Pandemic Pursuit of Wellness
  • How To Prevent Heart Disease At Any Age
  • Best Foods To Alleviate Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Add Magic To Your Life With This Simple Technique
  • Importance of good food for the human body to be healthy

Stay Updated

Archives

  • September 2023 (30)
  • August 2023 (31)
  • July 2023 (31)
  • June 2023 (30)
  • May 2023 (31)
  • April 2023 (30)
  • March 2023 (31)
  • February 2023 (29)
  • January 2023 (31)
  • December 2022 (30)
  • November 2022 (29)
  • October 2022 (31)
  • September 2022 (26)
  • August 2022 (20)
  • July 2022 (23)
  • June 2022 (20)
  • May 2022 (17)
  • April 2022 (16)
  • March 2022 (12)
  • February 2022 (18)
  • January 2022 (18)
  • December 2021 (14)
  • November 2021 (6)
  • October 2021 (10)
  • September 2021 (7)
  • August 2021 (13)
  • July 2021 (13)
  • June 2021 (16)
  • May 2021 (16)
  • April 2021 (14)
  • March 2021 (13)
  • February 2021 (8)
  • January 2021 (7)
  • December 2020 (8)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (12)
  • September 2020 (8)
  • August 2020 (5)
  • July 2020 (2)
  • June 2020 (5)
  • May 2020 (12)
  • April 2020 (13)
  • March 2020 (12)
  • February 2020 (5)
  • January 2020 (5)
  • December 2019 (7)
  • November 2019 (9)
  • October 2019 (8)
  • September 2019 (6)
  • August 2019 (9)
  • July 2019 (10)
  • June 2019 (13)
  • May 2019 (7)
  • April 2019 (11)
  • March 2019 (11)
  • February 2019 (12)
  • January 2019 (15)
  • December 2018 (12)
  • November 2018 (7)
  • October 2018 (10)
  • September 2018 (11)
  • August 2018 (21)
  • July 2018 (13)
  • June 2018 (21)
  • May 2018 (14)
  • April 2018 (22)
  • March 2018 (17)
  • February 2018 (13)
  • January 2018 (18)
  • December 2017 (13)
  • November 2017 (24)
  • October 2017 (21)
  • September 2017 (20)
  • August 2017 (7)
  • July 2017 (11)
  • June 2017 (12)
  • May 2017 (14)
  • April 2017 (9)
  • March 2017 (6)
  • February 2017 (7)
  • January 2017 (11)
  • December 2016 (10)
  • November 2016 (8)
  • October 2016 (9)
  • September 2016 (7)
  • August 2016 (12)
  • July 2016 (10)
  • June 2016 (10)
  • May 2016 (12)
  • April 2016 (17)
  • March 2016 (18)
  • February 2016 (8)
  • January 2016 (6)
  • December 2015 (4)
  • November 2015 (9)
  • October 2015 (8)
  • September 2015 (10)
  • August 2015 (13)
  • July 2015 (10)
  • June 2015 (12)
  • May 2015 (9)
  • April 2015 (13)
  • March 2015 (9)
  • February 2015 (6)
  • January 2015 (12)
  • December 2014 (14)
  • November 2014 (11)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (13)
  • August 2014 (14)
  • July 2014 (7)
  • June 2014 (3)
  • May 2014 (8)
  • April 2014 (5)
Kuntal Goswami - GOQii Health Stories

Prioritizing Health: Kuntal Goswami’s Post-Pandemic Pursuit of Wellness

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a wake-up call for individuals to recognize the significance of their health and well-being. It prompted people to adopt healthier lifestyles, prioritize self-care, and be proactive in taking preventive measures to protect … [Read More...]

Ram Sharma - GOQii Diabetes Care

Reducing HbA1c from 7.2 to 6.1 | Ram Sharma Health Story

There’s nothing sweet about diabetes and we’re all well aware about that. Factors such as a poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise, improper sleeping patterns, stress and advancing age can cause diabetes. While it might seem overwhelming, diabetes is not an insurmountable affair. With proper self-care, guidance and a few lifestyle modifications, you can manage […]

Ashima Dalela

Ashima Dalela Beats Gut Health Issues and Anxiety With GOQii

You might have heard the saying, “Almost all diseases begin in the gut.” If gut health issues are left unchecked, it can get worse and affect your mental health too. Our Player Ashima Dalela suffered from gut health issues which led to severe anxiety and she visited around 15 doctors who were unable to identify […]

Nitya Kishore Upadhyay

How Nitya Kishore Upadhyay Lost 12kg In 6 Months With GOQii

Are morning walks by themselves a miracle cure for health issues? Can they help manage and lower cholesterol levels or help you lose weight? Managing lifestyle diseases requires a combination of lifestyle changes, and there’s no room for guesswork. This is what our player, Nitya Kishore Upadhyay, figured out when he joined GOQii. Let’s take […]

  • HOME
  • HEALTHY LIVING
  • FITNESS
  • HEALTHY RECIPES
  • USER STORIES
  • KARMA
  • BUY GOQii

Copyright ©2016 GOQii