A recent study from England now suggests that sedentary kids not only risk getting fat, but their grades may suffer too. The study offered free lessons in a favorite sport to children aged eight to twelve. At the end of the study the BBC News reported that the highest scoring exams came from the most active kids.
Most high schools in our country do not require physical education beyond the ninth grade. Most elementary schools only have a structured P.E. program three days a week, and middle schools require kids to play competitive sports which they may not be genetically gifted to play.1
It is not by accident that some athletes are sprinters and others are marathon runners. It's all in our genetic makeup. Forcing children to participate in sports which they may never excel in could turn a child off to physical activity all together.
In the fall, at the start of each new school year, our children are required to take an academic aptitude test in order to assess his or her potential learning abilities. Is this done for fitness aptitude as well? NO! And it is for this reason alone too many kids living in the USA will never reach their full athletic potential.
In March 1997 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published "Guidelines for Schools and Communities for Promoting Life Long Physical Activity". The guidelines note the benefits of regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence improves strength and endurance, helps build healthy bones and muscles, helps control weight, reduces anxiety and stress, increases self-esteem, and may improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Wellness centers are on the rise in our country. Health insurance providers offer discount rates to employers who provide fitness centers for the employee, and personal fitness trainers are now able to bill health insurers for some of the services they provide.2
The whole country has gone "fitness crazy", but what about the kids? Our tax dollars are being poured into "Scared Straight" and "Boot Camp" type programs, rather than health and fitness; in other words, preventive medicine for kids.
It's no wonder juvenile crime is on the rise. According to the 1997 Census, California had the highest number (19,899) of youth in juvenile offender placement centers. Texas came in second with 6,898 incarcerated youth. It is a state three times the size of California, yet the total youth placement was 75% lower than California.
Lack of access to school education programs and community recreation centers significantly decreases the chance that U.S. adolescents will be physically active, a major University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study shows. The following is a list of some of the findings:3
- Only 21.3 percent of adolescents studied participated in one or more days of physical education in school per week.
- Physical activity levels were chiefly affected by environmental factors such as neighborhood crime, school physical education, and recreation center use, while inactivity levels were most closely associated with social factors such as family income and mothers' education.
- On the whole, U.S. adolescents get little vigorous exercise and spend much time watching TV and videos, and playing computer/video games. Being female and Hispanic or black meant even less vigorous exercise.
- The percentage of adolescents who fell into the highest category increased from 30 percent among those reporting no school physical education to almost 50 percent among those having P.E. five times a week.
- The project also provides the first evidence that community recreation facilities are important for adolescent activity -- a very important factor considering the dearth of safe and quality recreation facilities in many poor communities, he said. Coupled with record levels of obesity and huge amounts of TV viewing among teens, the results show how important community resources such as P.E. and recreation centers are in raising activity levels.
- Adolescents from poor families fared even worse, since high crime rates, low income and less education among mothers reduced vigorous physical activity and increased TV, video and computer/video game use.
It is especially important that a good fitness foundation be built prior to the teen years. When your child hits puberty many changes will begin to appear, and it is crucial that your child be educated about health and fitness before negative, self destructive habits (anorexia, bulimia, overeating, and/or drug abuse) begin.
Pubescence for boys typically occurs at ages 12-15 and this is when the primary growth spurt occurs. This promotes accelerated performances in almost every functional category. Testosterone levels in boys are ten times greater than levels in females and will stimulate a multitude of physiological changes for boys. Increased testosterone activity means significant gains. Muscle mass and strength intensify at an accelerated rate, even without the assistance of any strength training.
Girls, on the other hand, commonly mature much earlier than boys. A growth spurt for girls can take place around age 10 and peak around ages 12 to 13. Estrogen and progesterone are the hormones responsible. This is when body fat tends to increase significantly in girls. Meanwhile the boys are gaining strength at a swift rate. Increase in body fat in girls can all but cause a halt to improved strength gains. Efforts must be made through proper diet and adequate exercise in order to prevent a lifestyle of continual fat gain or anorexia.
So what can we do as parents? Turn off the TV for starters. Join your kid in a bike ride, a hike, or how about a jog on the beach? Invest in a basketball hoop, a jump-rope, or a swing set.
Practice good nutritional habits. Throw out the sodas! Most sodas contain caffeine, astronomical amounts of sugar, and worst of all, they dehydrate the body.
Why not try iced green tea. Green tea is a more potent anti-oxidant than Vitamin C and the decaffeinated version is not that hard to find. How about a glass of juice at breakfast to give kids that charge to jump start their day? Don't forget lots of purified water.
Toss out the sugar filled, artificial colored, "who knows what's in it" breakfast cereals. Old Fashioned oats can be cooked in the microwave in a couple of minutes. Oats are high in fiber. Oats are also an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, which will sustain your child's energy level all morning long. (I personally prefer not to experience that ever dreaded sugar high, followed by the whiney low which follows.) A little honey or pure maple syrup on the oats can be added, and even better yet, adding some fresh fruit before cooking adds great flavor.
Toss out the fat-loaded ranch dip/dressing. Have you looked at the calorie count per tablespoon for that stuff? Try some hummus or peanut butter with fresh veggies.
Get rid of the candy and keep a wide variety of fresh fruits available. Most fruits are high in fiber, which helps to prevent colon cancer. Most fresh fruits are high in antioxidants also, which combat cancer causing free radicals.
For more information on youth health and fitness issues visit www.kidfitt.com
Cherri Rodriguez is an ISSA Representative, Certified Fitness Trainer, Certified Youth Fitness Trainer, Certified Water Fitness Trainer, and creator of kidfitt.com.
References:
*1: www.healthscout.com -by Jeff Johnston
*2: Physical Activity and Fitness Research Digest, Sept. 1997
*3: www.unc.edu/news/newsier - May 18, 2000 -- No. 287 -- by David Williamson
