Kids seem to have an endless supply of energy. They come back from school, run straight to practice, come back home and still want to play with their friends outside. Therefore, worrying about your kids having too much physical activity is not entirely surprising.
The sad reality is that most children aren’t getting nearly enough exercise to begin with. Their desire to run around is only a natural response to their increased energy levels, so in most cases you should just let them run their course.
Schools nowadays lack proper physical education, which is why many parents choose to sign their kids up in a gym that can cater to their age, such as My Gym Poway. However, if you are afraid your kid might get exhausted or burnt out from too much exercise, you might want to keep an eye out for a few tell-tale signs.
Kids Should Get At Least an Hour of Exercise
Kids over six years old should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day, CDC recommends. If you think this might be too much, you can have them spread that hour throughout the day.
Most experts agree that kids should have no more than three hours of physical activity every day. If your kids spend most of their time in front of the computer, make sure to have them stand up every one in a while and move, go out for a walk or enjoy some light exercise. Kids tend to have short bursts of activity due to their short attention span anyway, so this might be the most natural way for them to exercise.
Different Types of Exercise
In order to develop properly and stay healthy, kids should aim for 3 different types of exercise. This includes:
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic or cardio exercises are meant to get their hearts pumping and make their lungs work harder. For most kids, an hour a day is more than enough. This involves running, riding a bike and walking to school as well. You should have your kids participate in a vigorous cardio activity at least three times a week. This could mean riding a bike or swimming.
Muscle Exercises
Even though most parents don’t want their children lifting weights out of fear they could get hurt, these can really help their fragile bodies develop. If you are not comfortable with weights, you can always let them use their own weight as resistance by doing push-ups, rock and tree climbing. Of course, with the right personal trainer kids can also use light dumbbells or resistance bands to build some muscle mass.
Weight-Bearing
These exercises involve running, jumping or skipping rope. Kids should aim to do these at least three days a week, as it is extremely important for healthy bone development.
Watch For Signs of Exhaustion
In most cases, kids know their limits when it comes to wasting energy. As soon as they feel a bit tired, you can be sure they will come back home and fall sound asleep.
Burnout is more common for children involved in organized sports with a training schedule to follow. Kids develop differently from one another, and some take physical activity better than others.
If you notice your kid comes back exhausted or is frequently injured, you might want to talk to them about slowing down. We know kids want to show off to their peers, but when it comes to exercise that can lead to serious injuries, especially at that age.
Ideally, kids should have one hour of training per year of age every week (meaning a 13 year kid should have no more than 13 hours of exercise a week). More than this could lead to injuries and fatigue, which is why parents have to be on alert and pay attention to how their kids are reacting.
Tags: children, exercise, fitness, Kids, kids exercising, workout
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