Best physical exercises for the child

Children can and should exercise regularly because exercise improves their intellectual development, making them smarter and more intelligent, as well as their motor development, by strengthening bones and increasing elasticity. In addition, children are less able to produce lactate and, therefore, do not get sore or even tired muscles after exercise.

The practice of exercise in childhood brings many benefits to the child's development, and should always be encouraged. In case the child has rhinitis, sinusitis, heart disease or is overweight or underweight, it is recommended that the pediatrician be consulted so that some evaluations are made to check if any special care is needed to perform the exercise.

5 benefits of physical activity in childhood

The main benefits of physical activity in childhood are:

1. Stronger bones

The best exercises to practice in childhood are those that produce some impact, such as running or football, because there is better bone development in a short time, which reduces the risk of osteoporosis in adulthood, which can be reflected even years later., in menopause.

2. Taller children

Physical activity favors child growth because when muscles are contracted, bones respond by getting bigger and stronger, which is why active children tend to develop better and are taller, when compared to those who do not do any type of physical exercise..

However, the child's height is also influenced by genetics and, therefore, younger or older children are not always like this because they practiced physical activity or not, despite exercise having an influence.

3. Decreased risk of sedentary lifestyle in adulthood

Children who learn to exercise at an early age, whether taking swimming, ballet or soccer lessons, are less likely to become a sedentary adult, thus improving their quality of life, by decreasing the risk of heart problems and events such as infarction or stroke.

4. Improves self-esteem

Children who exercise more have more self-esteem, are happier and more confident and also enjoy sharing their achievements and feelings, which can also be reflected in adulthood, becoming healthier adults. The ease with which they demonstrate what they feel during classes also helps parents and teachers to understand their frustrations, facilitating daily treatment.

5. Maintaining the proper weight

Practicing exercises since childhood helps to maintain the ideal weight, being useful for those who are underweight and especially for those who need to lose a little bit because the caloric expenditure of the exercise contributes to the burning of fat that may already be accumulated within your little ones. blood vessels.

Find out if your child is within the most appropriate weight for her age by placing your data on the following calculator:

8 best exercises to practice in childhood

All physical activity is welcome and so parents and children can choose together which activity they will participate in, taking into account the child's physical type and characteristics because not all of them are apt for everything. Some good options are:

Swimming: Improves breathing and cardiovascular fitness, but as it has no impact on bones, swimming does not increase bone density; Ballet: Ideal for improving posture and increasing the flexibility of muscles and joints, favoring a slender and elongated body; Running: Strengthens bones more than swimming; Artistic gymnastics: It has a lot of impact, strengthening the bones; Judo and Karate: Teaches you to respect rules and to control your movements well, as it has a good impact it is great for strengthening bones and stimulating growth; Jiu-jitsu: Due to physical touch, proximity to others and the need to look into the partner's eyes during training, the child is more self-confident and less shy; Basketball: The bounce of the ball helps to strengthen the bones of the arms; Football: As it includes a lot of running, it is a great exercise to strengthen the leg bones.

In relation to weight training, it is important to consult the pediatrician before beginning the practice of this activity, and it may be recommended that the trip to the gym does not happen more than 3 times a week and the load is low, giving preference to the greater number of repetitions. Thus, parents who like and practice weight training need not be afraid to enroll their children in gyms, as long as the exercises are guided by competent professionals and are attentive to the mistakes that can be made while performing the exercises.

What is the most suitable exercise according to age

Age	Optimal physical activity
0 to 1 years	Playing outdoors, running, jumping, jumping, skipping rope to help the child's motor development
2 to 3 years	Up to 1.5 hours of physical activity per day, for example: swimming lessons, ballet , martial arts, ball games
4 to 5 years	You can do up to 2 hours of physical activity per day, with 1 hour of planned exercises in classes and 1 hour playing outdoors.
6 to 10 years	They can start competing as child athletes. They should do at least 1 hour of physical activity per day but they should not be stopped for more than 2 hours. You can do periods of 3 x 20 minutes of each activity, such as games, cycling, jumping rope, swimming.
11 to 15 years	You can already do more than 1 hour a day, and you can already compete as athletes. Weight training can now be recommended, but without excessive weight.

Common risks

The most common risks during exercise in childhood involve:

Dehydration: Due to the difficulty of regulating your body temperature, it is therefore more likely that you will become dehydrated if you do not drink fluids during activity. Therefore, it is important that every 30 minutes of activity the child is offered some water or natural fruit juice, even if he is not thirsty. Bone fragility in athletes: Girls who do activity more than 5 times a week over the years, contrary to popular belief, may have more bone fragility due to reduced estrogen in the bloodstream.

When the child follows the recommendations of drinking fluids during training, they protect themselves from the sun, and avoid the hottest hours of the day, the risk of dehydration decreases dramatically.

Transforming physical activity classes into moments of pleasure instead of hours of training for athletes has more benefits during childhood because in addition to not requiring much of your psychological, there is less risk of fragile and brittle bones, due to excessive physical activity.