Exercise And Play

When children return from playing, they
look quite exhausted and ready for a nap. This is
the most accurate description, and also quite the
truth, as playing is hard work. It's exhausting to
the mind and body of the child, and it plays an
important role in helping them to become productive
and healthy.

The role of play and exercise in the life of a young
child will provide them with several benefits.
Exercise of the body is a very important part of
keeping the young body fit as it grows into an adult
body. Once we reach adulthood, if we've had the
benefit of exercise and play, we all tend to
continue that habit well into our adult years.

Play is also good in the form of participating in
organized sports, coordinated play times, and being
a member of a large group during all of these types
of activities. Playing on this level will teach
us how to interact with peers and perform as a
team with our fellow players. In today's business
world, these skills are essential.

What we learn in body language, skills, and
the interaction of the mind and body during our
interaction with others is invaluable. When we
learn this skills to the fullest, not only will
we learn how to get along with others, but we will
also learn how to interact better with ourselves.

Although interacting with ourselves seems like
a rather pointless exercise, it is actually an
important part of maintaining the best sense of
health and wellness. There will always be times
when our bodies are trying to tell us things
about our physical or mental condition, which we
will simply refuse to listen to.

Through exercise and play, we will also learn
what our limitations are - both physical and
mental. At times of play, you'll see children
and young adults push themselves to their limit
and beyond. As children, we are all more able
to distinguish between a real limit versus what
society itself calls our limits.

For children and young adults, the pressures of
the world don't affect them near as much as it
does adults. Children have a much better state of
mind and peace, unlike adults that have let the
outside influence the body and mind, which will
do little more than becoming a dominant factor of
time.

As you can tell, the benefits that are gained from
exercise and play time as children, will benefit
us for the rest of our lives. As adults, we all
too often forget how important both exercise and
play are.

Normally, we want to rush children into their
daily responsibilities, forgetting that at their
age they need play and interaction for their young
minds.

Chidren And Exercise

If you have a child of 6 to 8 years old that wants
to start exercising and lifting weights, you may
find yourself wondering what you should do. While
some think it is perfectly fine for children to
exercise, there are others that think differently.

It is beneficial for your child to take in exercise
or a weight training regimen although there are a
few things that you should keep in mind once this
starts to happen.

Children aren't minature adults and therefore you
can't use the same methods with growing children that
you can use with adults, as children are different
from adults emotionally, anatomically, and physiologically.

All children have immature skeletons, as their
bones don't mature until they get 14 - 22 years of
age. With girls, exercise during childhood can
have very critical effects on bone health that
can last for their entire lives.

Children are often times vulnerable to growth
related overuse injuries such as Osgood schlatter
disease. Children have immature temperature
regulation systems due to their having a large
surface area compared to their muscle mass which
will cause them to be more susceptible to injury
when they aren't properly warmed up.

Children don't sweat as much as adults do, so
they will be more susceptible to heat exhaustion
as well as a heat stroke. Due to their low muscle
mass and immature hormone system, it makes it
harder for them to develop strength and speed.
Their breathing and heart response during
exercise are also different from an adults, which
will affect their capacity for exercise.

On the other hand, young boys and girls can
drastically improve their strength with weight
training although opposed to adults, neurological
factors instead of muscle growth factors are mostly
responsible.

When you consider programs for children, first and
foremost you should obtain a medical clearance.
The first approach to designing a program is to
establish a repetition range of 8 - 12 and keep
the work load appropriate for the range.

You should ensure that workouts are spread out
enough to have at least 1 - 2 full days of rest
between workouts. The main focus when working out
should be on the form of every exercise performed,
and not on the amount of weight being lifted.

Before weight training, warm up and stretching
should be done. Start your children off with light
loads and then make adjustments accordingly. No
more than 3 non consecutive exercise sessions
should be done in a week. They drink plenty of
water before, during, and after exercise.
Getting enough water is very important with exercise,
as it is often times very easy to get
dehydrated - especially with children.