Why Children's Fitness is on the Decline
By Sara Butler
Our children are in trouble. No, it’s not because they got into the cookie jar before dinner or cut the hair off their sister’s Barbie, it’s because children’s fitness and endurance are on the decline. A recent study out of the National Institutes of Health has found that children today are less fit than their parent’s generation – by about 15 percent. What’s causing this and how can your chiropractor help?
The Obesity Epidemic
There is an obesity epidemic in this country among children and there are many factors for this, including:
- More television watching
- More time spent playing video games and other electronics
- Cutting of physical education in schools
- Less freedom for children to play outside alone
- Eating more processed foods
- Poor posture
Yes, you read that last one right – poor posture is playing a role in the decline of kids all across the country. This is because poor posture does not allow the body to work as it should, causing dysfunction in nearly every system of the body. The sedentary lifestyles that American children lead produces inefficient movements, and inefficient movement makes it less fun to go out and be active. Being active has become a chore for children instead of just a natural state.
Postural Imbalances
The imbalances that poor posture brings about in children are the source of the inefficient movement that makes being active no fun. Take running, for example. When a child is running, everything should move in a straight line from the feet to the knees to the arms. This allows you to propel yourself forward. If a child has a postural imbalance then they won’t move in this way, and the tiny ways in which their movement is off can cause them to expend more energy with less reward, to create more imbalances in other parts of the body as compensations are made, and can cause injury.
How Chiropractic Can Help
Your chiropractor can evaluate your child to see what postural imbalances may be impacting them and take steps to correct them. Any underlying muscle imbalances can also be assessed and corrected in order to help your child’s body move more efficiently and naturally.
When your child's posture is aligned then exercise can become more fun for them, leading to move active play -- and maybe even more interest in healthy and active activities! If you have questions about postural alignment in your child, then you should discuss it with your chiropractor during your next visit to The Joint Chiropractic!