How Active Kids Become Healthier Adults
By Sandy Schroeder
We all know we need to move more, but new research is now telling us why this is so important for our kids. Researchers now say the exercise our kids get may affect their adult lives improving brain power, stimulating adult exercise, and building better bones, according to The Guardian.
They Think More Clearly
Researchers say children who are physically active benefit from better development of the brain with improved memory and better ability to think, reason and follow through. Exercise generates neuroprotective qualities throughout their lives, which lasts into their 60s and 70s, reducing their risk for Alzheimer’s.
They Tend to Exercise as Adults
Ted Garland, professor of biology at the University of California, says, “Those who have grown up doing regular exercise are more motivated to get out there and exercise as adults.†The brain’s memory of all those good exercise endorphins may motivate them to exercise as adults. Active kids often grow up with great memories of busy weekends with their parents camping, hiking, boating or biking. Think of the families you know who play tennis, sail, shoot hoops or play golf, generation after generation. Whatever activities we put into play with our kids may keep right on benefiting them and their kids in the future.
Their Bones Are Better
Researchers say children who get involved in activities such as gymnastics or tennis show big differences in bone mass, density and mineral content, compared to those who have not exercised.
Researchers believe those teens will be less prone to bone disease such as osteoporosis later in life. They say the bones are involved in energy metabolism, which plays out with less susceptibility to inflammatory-related diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
Helping Our Kids to Move More
Helping kids think better, exercise more as adults, and benefit from strong bones suggests we should all look at how our kids can become more active.
- Helping kids get involved in school sports
- Keeping weekends active with hiking, biking or camping
- Making exercise a daily event with morning or evening walks
- Limiting video game and TV time
- Adding indoor exercise mats and treadmills
- Taking parent/child community sports classes
Every family is different. Finding ways to keep kids active is a very individual matter. If you think your kids should be more active, start with where they are and build on it. Backyard soccer practice, biking to the park, shooting hoops, or running in a marathon may be good choices to keep them moving throughout their lives.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Chicago, Ill.