Health benefits of exercise for Youths & Teens
In this blog, we will take a look at some of the health benefits of exercises and how they can benefit the youth/teen athlete.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, children should participate in at least 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. However, less than 24% of children ages 6-17 meet this daily requirement.
Within the past few decades in Ireland, childhood obesity levels are on the rise. It is clear that exercise has a role to play in preventing or tackling this issue. Childhood obesity is linked to a higher risk of medical conditions such as asthma, eczema and type 2 diabetes.
These are issues that people may be aware of, however, the issues linked with obesity that people may not know much about is that obesity is also associated with psychological issues such as increased chances of being bullied or carrying out bullying, along with behavioral issues, suffering from depression and other emotional problems.
(Continues below)
While there are a number of different causes linked to obesity, we must acknowledge that there are other elements outside lifestyle habits that can lead to being overweight. But there is certainly a role for physical activity to take place in everyone’s life. We must look at ways to expend the energy that we have taken in through our diets, as we can often exceed the required amount of energy taken in which leads to the storage of fat throughout the body.
Physical activity and exercise have positive effects on both physiological and psychological aspects in the development of a child.
These include:
Improvement in sleeping habits
Limiting the risk of obesity
Limiting the risk of chronic disease
Reducing anxiety
Reducing depression
Promoting healthy bone growth and muscle development
The benefits of physical activity extend to the classroom as well. Exercise has been seen to help kids expend energy which will keep them calm and focused throughout the day.