Exercise_and_Children

Running Head: Benefits of Exercise Why Exercise is Important and Beneficial for Children Katura Fennell University of Memphis Abstract Over the last decade, Americans leading a sedentary life have more than doubled and among these Americans, 7 out of ten are children. Research consistently shows that exercise is not just beneficial for adults, but it also benefits children. This report shows that the benefits of exercise help to control such things as: weight control, bone building, cardiovascular protection and psychological benefits. This report refers to exercises benefits in the same manner as KidsHealth. According to KidsHealth, 60 minutes of exercise is not only “good for you”, it also helps you look good, rev up you energy levels, prevent diseases and increase you mood levels. (KidsHealth, 2009) Why Exercise is Important and Beneficial for Children Over the past decade the number of American’s living a sedentary lifestyle has increased tremendously. Living this kind of lifestyle is living with a lack of physical activity and exercise. According to a recent study by the U.S. Health and Human Services, seven out of 10 Americans, or 70%, are not getting the adequate amount of exercise they need. (Thompson, 2002) Out of the 70% of Americans that are not exercising regularly, approximately 52% are children and adolescents. (Casey, 2007) Although exercise and physical activity is something that is viewed to only be important and beneficial for adults, it has been stated that it is just as, if not more, important and beneficial for children. Exercise is beneficial and important for children because it helps with weight control, bone building, cardiovascular protection and psychological benefits. When it comes to exercise, there are many questions that are raised about what it is and what its benefits are. The definition of exercise is: “activity performed in order to develop or maintain physical fitness and overall health. It is also necessary for improving athletic ability. Frequent and regular physical exercise helps prevent some diseases of affluences such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, type-2-diabetes and obesity.” Exercise is anything that keeps you active, in shape and helps improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are many things that can fall in the category of exercise or physical activity. Some of these things include things such as: walking, jogging, running, aerobics, body building, cycling, hiking, swimming, Pilates, yoga, weight training, dancing and any type of sports related activity. Exercise and physical fitness is something that we usually see adults engaged in. We see adults as the ones that want to lose that unnecessary weight, stay in shape and maintain and have a healthier lifestyle. So can such activities and exercises be helpful and beneficial for children' Children, just like adults, suffer from weight and health problems, diseases and psychological problems that come with not staying physically fit. Having you child involved in some sort of physical activity at such a young age can help in many aspects of their lives. The Prevention Stage Many habits or certain conditions that are carried into adulthood are acquired and picked up during your childhood years. Many of these habits or conditions are learned by watching others or they are gained genetically. (Brook, 2008) Children are often times unaware of these habits and conditions in which they suffer. During childhood and adolescent life is where we see exercise and physical activity to be more effective and important because it can be the prevention stage. If children learn at an early age the benefits of exercise and physical fitness then they will be able to prevent themselves from health problems, metal conditions and working hard to maintain a longer, healthier life during adult years. It is also important because younger people can stay fit and enjoy doing so without realizing its benefits. Weight Control Weight control may be one of the most important issues and key factors when it comes to exercise and physical fitness. A few of the concerns when it comes to weight control is overweight and obesity. An increasing number of children are overweight or obese. In the past 30 years, the numbers have increased from 15% to close to 25% of children that suffer with one of these completely preventable conditions. (Goran, 1999) According to recent statistics, there are close to 40% of children that suffer from being overweight and or obese. (Center for Human Nutrition, 2007) When discussing these two issues, although they may both involve having more weight that what is expected, they both have different meanings. Being overweight is used in reference to describe a person who had more body fat than typical or required for normal body functioning. Being overweight can be caused by a number of things that can be either genetic or your daily lifestyle habits develop further and get out of control. (Gavin, 2009) This then can lead to children becoming obese. Obesity is a condition where there are excessive amounts of body fat in relation to lean body mass. Childhood obesity is characterized by being of a weight way higher than normal for a child’s age and height. Obesity had become an epidemic among children and every year it increases in number. (Gavin, 2009) Obesity is a big concern because it had the ability to lead to bigger issues, health problems and diseases the older one gets. When determining either being overweight or obese, the determinant of it is BMI or body mass index. The BMI has become the standard as a reliable indicator of overweight and obesity. (Krebs, 2007) A person that is considered to be overweight has a BMI of 25.0-29.9. When dealing with obesity there are two different levels of the condition. To be considered obese, a person’s BMI will be anywhere between the numbers of 30.0-39.0 and if the BMI exceeds and is above 40.0, you will be considered to be morbidly obese. BMI measures the weight for height ratio. Overweight BMI is at the 85th but below the 95th percentile and obesity is at or above the 95th percentile. (Krebs, 2007) If no interventions are made, these children have an 80% chance that they will remain overweight or obese during adulthood as well. (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 2008) Children need a certain amount of calories each day that their bodies use as energy for normal daily activities. If a child consumes more calories than needed, it is stored as fat which is a cause of overweight/obesity. Kids need physical activity because it helps them lose weight and keep up with their daily allowance. (Krebs, 2007) Diseases Another benefit of exercise is that it lowers risks of many diseases that affect the body. One disease that is beneficial when lowering risks in children is type-2 diabetes. Until the last 10 years or so, type-2 diabetes was rarely seen within children. (Stoltz, 2008) With those children already suffering from the disease, we have 2.7 million more children and adolescents at risk of developing the disease. Children who have developed lifestyles of little exercise and poor diet have become overweight as a result are also developing diabetes earlier in life. (Stoltz, 2008) Although children and adolescents suffer from this, it is also very controllable through diet and exercise. (Biddle, 2000) Children can be spared from a lifetime of more serious complications such as: heart disease, organ damage, blindness and amputations that uncontrolled and untreated type 2 diabetes can cause. Making sure a child with type 2 diabetes is physically active is very important for blood sugar management. Glucose moves from the bloodstream into the muscles more effectively during physical activity which then reduces blood sugar levels. Overweight and obese children are a target for diabetes because the access body fat stored makes insulin less effective when moving sugar out of the bloodstream. This is why exercise is important and beneficial for children that suffer with the disease. (Stoltz, 2008) Children with diabetes according to the governments National Diabetes Education Program should get a total of 60 minutes of physical activity in a day. It doesn’t require that the child gets those 60 minutes all at once, but that it is broken down in sections. Exercise also has a positive effect in preventing and treating respiratory problems. When looking at the respiratory system we are dealing with the movement of air in and out of the lungs. This system also affects how we breathe. A child’s respiratory system is very similar to that of an adult, but it differs in size and position. This is where we see certain diseases or illnesses such as the common cold, the flu and diseases that affect the lungs such as bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia and tuberculosis. We see children suffer more from these types of sicknesses because a child’s immune system is weaker than that of an adult so children easily catch or they are immune to these diseases. (Williams, 2009) Although exercise is beneficial for lowering the risk of respiratory diseases such as the common cold or flu it does not however prevent them from occurring or make them go away after you get them then start to exercise. (Kolata, 2008) As a matter a fact, doctors say that if the illness is above the neck and the child doesn’t suffer a fever then exercise is ok to engage in, but if it is below the neck, the child is feverish and has chest pain then it is required that the child rest up until they are ready to be physically active again. (Bernstein, 2008) Exercise however can be helpful in reducing your chances of catching the flu or a cold more than once a year and help keep your immune system strong so you will not suffer from more serious respiratory disease such as pneumonia and tuberculosis. When dealing with diseases such as bronchitis and asthma where too much physical activity can cause breathing to be irregular, one has to make sure that they as well as the child know their limit of how much activity they can engage in. If too much exercise takes place it can lead to attacks and inflammation of the lungs and stop the child from breathing. (Bernstein, 2008) Exercise and physical activity yet is important for children who suffer from these diseases because it helps them the build a strong immune system so it decreases the chances of catching or being diagnosed with these diseases and it also keeps them involved without having to feel they are limited and excluded because they suffer from these respiratory problems. Along with respiratory diseases come orthopedic problems that children suffer from. When we look up the word orthopedic it is defined as: the medical specialty concerned with the preservation, restoration, and development of form and functions of the musculoskeletal system, extremities, spine, and associated structures by medical, surgical and physical methods. According to Gabos (2008), many children from birth on up to adulthood suffer from orthopedic conditions. Common conditions that exist in children are things such as: in-toeing (Pigeon Toes), bowlegs, knock-knees, flatfeet and toe walking. Some of these conditions with time correct themselves, but often times they require surgical procedures to occur and may also lead to others problems and or conditions. Between birth and the ages of 6, we tend to see these conditions to be typical in children. At these ages, children are very active and are always on the move. This is seen as a form of exercise or physical activity for children this age, which is why majority of the time the conditions correct on their own. It helps the bones and muscles that the conditions affect line back up the way they are supposed to be and help build them up to prevent the condition from reoccurring or worsening in adulthood. When kids suffer from these conditions and require surgery to correct it, it is usually because they are not active or moving around like they are suppose to, when parents are constantly picking up and carrying the child around or in strollers or they are parked in front of the T.V., video game or computer. (Gabos, 2008) Bone Density Just like muscles, bones get stronger when you put them to use. Majority of children learn that drinking milk or having some sort of calcium and vitamin D is good for your bones and makes them healthier and stronger. What they didn’t tell us is that exercise can also help with bone building. According to the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic, building stronger bones in children is important because it increases their bone density and also reduces their chances from breakage and diseases such as osteoporosis when they get up in age. Bone density is the mineral content of the bone. It has to do with the amount of calcium and minerals are in the bone to help prevent osteoporosis. To help build bones, any kind of a weight-bearing activity is great. This is any exercise in which our feet and legs carry our weight. We may say that these types of exercises are not appropriate and safe for children, but there are certain things that a child can do that are fun and safe. Weight bearing activities don’t have to be heavy weight lifting but can include anything for walking, jogging, dancing, stair climbing, skating, hiking, sports related activities and playing with medicine balls the right weight and size for the child. These are just a few ways that children can build bones and be safe doing so. Light weight lifting for children is shown to be beneficial for children as well for building bones. Be sure to talk to your child’s doctor about other activity ideas that are best for them."Some people say childhood and adolescence (under 14) are ideal times to build bone, and if you miss out on this window of opportunity, you may never get it back." (Neighmond, 2009) When we see those children jumping rope, playing hopscotch, throwing the ball back and forth or running around up and down stairs, they are building and making their bones stronger and healthier for the future. Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become brittle due to a loss of bone mass or bone density and a change in bone structure. We tend to see this affect many older people, but it’s important to do things in childhood to prevent being diagnosed with the disease. This is another reason it is important for children to stay physically active. Getting the right amount of calcium, taking vitamins, having good eating habits and exercise or very important ways to prevent the condition from appearing or being at risk of it later on in life. According to a group called the Bone Builders at The University of Arizona, exercise helps prevent osteoporosis because of the muscle pulling on bone builds bones, so weight-bearing exercise builds denser, stronger bones. The more bone mass you build before age 25 or 30, the better off you will be during the years of gradual bone loss. This is why it is important when you are younger to be physically active because it is easier to do and enjoyable. Although many cardiovascular problems aren’t seen until adulthood, lowering the risk of them should start while you’re young. Exercise and physical activity that children engage in help with cardiovascular protections. (La Forge, 2001) When dealing with things that involve cardiovascular function it has to deal with, pertains to or involves the heart and blood vessels. Blood cholesterol, hypertension and lowering chances of having a heart attack or a stroke are three issues that can be lowered with exercise. Blood cholesterol is a fatty substance that occurs naturally in the body and which is necessary for hormone production, cell metabolism, and other vital processes. There are two main types of blood cholesterol: high density lipoproteins (HDL) and low density lipoproteins (LDL). HDL’s are responsible for carrying excess cholesterol out of the blood vessels and to the liver for processing. This is known as the good type of cholesterol. LDL’s tend to accumulate on the artery walls. This in turn may lead to an increased risk of heart disease. This is the bad type of cholesterol. Exercise can be a cornerstone of therapy for lowering cholesterol and what better time to be doing so then when you are young. Exercise increases the amount of HDL cholesterol in your blood while it reduces the amount of LDL cholesterol. While exercising, you tone up your whole body's circulation, helping to clear away clots in the blood vessels and making the heart a stronger, more efficient pump. Vigorous activities like walking, jogging, biking, and swimming are called aerobic activities, and they are especially good at conditioning the heart and improving circulation. When you are dealing with children and these types of activities make sure they pace themselves, start off slow and build their way up to prevent any type of strain or injury. (La Forge, 2001) Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition that affects millions of people around the world. According to Dr. Haskell, (2001), 50 million Americans today have been diagnosed with the disease. This disease is taken very seriously because it can lead to more serious medical conditions such as: stroke, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, kidney failure and with gaining the nickname “the silent killer” it can also lead to death. Hypertension is also a condition that is more common among adults, but is something that can start to be prevented in the early years of life. A normal blood pressure is 120/80 with a high blood pressure being anything over 140/90. (2001) The top number or first number you see when reading blood pressure is called the systolic blood pressure and represents the pressure against the artery walls when the heart contracts. The bottom or last number is called the diastolic blood pressure and is the pressure against the artery walls during the resting phase between heart beats. (Haskell, 2001) Studies show that moderate intensity activity helps to lower blood pressure. (Haskell, 2001) Anything from a brisk walk, doing some yoga or bike riding can lower the risks of hypertension. When you begin young, it prevents children of being diagnosed with serious medical conditions in their later years. The same rules and types of exercises can be done to lower the chances of having a heart attack or a stroke. These are the more serious conditions that adults face when they don’t take complete care of themselves. Not eating right and not exercising is a prime example of why these things occur. A heart attack is damage to the heart muscle caused when the blood vessels supplying the muscle are blocked, such as when the blood vessels are clogged with fats. A stroke is damage to a part of the brain that happens when the blood vessels supplying that part are blocked, such as when the blood vessels are clogged with fats. A stroke can be worse than a heart attack because the effect it has on the brain. It can cause things such as memory lost, being paralyzed and not even being able to speak. Psychological Benefits Another reason why exercise and physical activity is important and beneficial for children is because it helps them cope with stress, depression, anxiety, increases self-esteem and self-image. Just like adults, children face many problems and hardships in their everyday lives. When thinking of words such as anxiety, depression and stress, we don’t picture children as those that have to deal with such problems. In reality about 10% of children and adolescents suffer from one of the three issues according to the National Institute of Mental Health. KidsHealth says children suffering from anxiety, depression or stress can arise from things going on within the household such as: parents arguing all the time, divorce, parents not giving the children enough attention, physical or verbal abuse and even having fights with siblings. It can also be things that go on at school like: being bullied or being the bully, worried about certain assignments that are due, worried about grades or the teacher being too hard on a certain student. These are all realistic problems that happen to many kids on a daily basis. Sometimes children look for things to do to take their minds of these certain situations and what better way to do this then to exercise or be engaged in some sort of physical activity. Anxiety is an unpleasant state of mental uneasiness or concern about some uncertain event. Depression is a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity. Stress is difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension. Signs and symptoms of these three conditions include: lack of energy, lack of sleep, exhaustion, trembling or shaking in the hands, excessive worry, irritation, panic, isolation, muscle pains, headaches, guilt, feelings of worthlessness, increase in heart rate and loss of appetite. Sounds like a lot for a child to have to deal with right' Can exercise and physical activity really help if a person is suffering from symptoms such as these' It is and it can. According to the International Health Supplement Education Foundation, our brains have many chemicals called endorphins and neurotransmitters that affect the thinking process and can be blocked when suffering from conditions such as anxiety, stress and depression. With exercise, it releases these chemicals and helps to ease what one is going through. Exercise also helps to reduce the chemical in our immune systems and it can increase our body’s core temperature, but also does it with a calming effect. Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety, stress and depression. There are a wide variety of activities that children can participate in to help cope with these conditions. Anything for: playing a sport, riding their bike, doing some sort of meditation, running or anything that they enjoy that keeps their hearts pumping and grasp their attention long enough to ease their minds of all the things going on around them. All the time that is required for them to do so is 30 minutes out of the day at least 3-4 days a week. (Hillman, 2009) When talking about self-esteem, it focuses on talking about how one feels about oneself or being concerned with self-image. Self-esteem is something that affects all humans because majority of the time, people are concerned what they look like. I believe that sometimes self-esteem and self-image issues tend to be more of a concern with children. Now days, this generation on children can tend to be very cruel and mean. The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center states that 30% of children are bullied or made fun of because of their image. A lot of the negative things usually have to do with how another person looks. It can be that one is a different race, they may be bigger than the next child, could be the child suffers from a medical condition or that they may not be as fortunate as someone else is. Anyway you look at it the issue is wrong. People may not be able to stop kids from being nasty and mean, but people can change how it makes them feel. Exercise is beneficial in this aspect of things as well. Exercise gives children a sort of boost or a kick that they need to build their self-esteem and self-image to feel good about self and allows for other to feel the same. Things such as after-school sports or other after-school activities help build self-confidence and a spirit of teamwork, which are very important characteristics that children can learn and carry with them through adulthood. (Nauert, 2009) Giving them the freedom to choose the activity is also a way to build self-esteem because it gives them the sort of independence and make them feel like an adult. Even helping with chores can be a source of exercise and also builds up the trait of responsibility. All of these things teach a child how to make their own decisions and how to feel good about their selves. It should never be about how one looks, but it should be about how people treat one another and how people make others feels. It has been said to always treat others how you want to be treated. Academic Performance The last thing exercise is important and beneficial for children is increasing and improving their academic performance. “Experts speculate that exercise may boost academic performance in various ways, including: burning off pent-up energy and allowing kids to pay attention better and focus on their work; boosting self-esteem and mood; and increasing blood flow to the brain, helping with memory and concentration.” (Stenson, 2008) Studies show that when kids exercise it pumps more blood to the brain and helps boost the thinking process and helps kids to be able to focus and get their work done inside and outside of school. Studies also show that when you exercise you burn off anxiety, stress and depression as I talked about earlier which can be a factor and disruption of attentiveness and learning. (Klemm, 2009) Teachers and parents say that when their child is exercising or engaged in some sort of physical activity, their learning is enhanced and they are able to focus better. (Brooks, 2008) The hypothesis that exercise enhances school performance "is supported by emerging research showing that physical activity sparks biological changes that encourage brain cells to bind to one another. For the brain to learn, these connections must be made; they reflect the brain's fundamental ability to adapt to challenges. The more neuroscientists discover about this process, the clearer it becomes that exercise provides an unparalleled stimulus, creating an environment in which the brain is ready, willing and able to learn.” (Brooks, 2008) Conclusion Some things in life are preventable and are within our control. When it comes to children, we want nothing but the best for them because they are the future and the ones that will keep things in life going. We have to be able treat children just as we would treat ourselves. We want the best for ourselves so why shouldn’t we want the best for children. Just like adults, children deal with many of the same problems, situations and issues adults deal with just on different levels. Exercise is also something that is beneficial and important for children because it helps with their weight control, bone building, cardiovascular protection and psychological benefits. I feel that the thesis is very understandable and true. I can relate to this because not only was I a child once and many of these issues discussed were beneficial for me, but I work with children every day and see the same effects of exercise and physical activity be very important in all of their lives. Although different children engage in different activities and like to do different things that they enjoy, as long as it is keeping them moving, active healthy and happy, there is no way you can go wrong. Seeing these kids feel good about who they are, what they have learned, accomplished and gained from being involved in physical activity and exercise and having that smile on their face, lets me know that they are having fun becoming a better person on the inside and out. This is the reason I love working with children and one of the reasons that I walk around with a smile on my face daily. Knowing that exercise and physical activity doesn’t have to be a burden or something that is dreaded to do, but something that can be enjoyable, a learning experience and a way to make children live and lead a healthier, longer and happier life. When you exercise you feel better about yourself and you treat others around you better also. If children start out young engaging in some sort of physical activity for at least an hour a day, the world would be a better place. We have to give children encouragement when it comes to being physical fit. 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