Given today's lifestyles – junk food, TV, too many conveniences within arm's reach – it is important that every child gets his dose of exercise regularly. Many a times parents of kids aged 6–8 years are faced with a dilemma – their kid wants to emulate the body of a certain youth icon, but the parents are not sure whether they should allow their kid to do such body-building exercises like weight lifting. Some parents may feel happy that their kid is showing interest in exercising, while others feel it is not the right age for them to start on any form of exercise other than routine playing in the playground.
Exercise is indeed beneficial for a child, but if and only if, it is the right kind that suits their age and not-yet-fully-developed bodies. So, when a child begins to take an unusual interest in exercising, the parent has to sit up and take notice.
This is because children are after all children – they are not mini-adults. Their skeleton system and the body are still growing and they are quite different from adults on all levels, be it anatomical, physiological or emotional. They should, therefore, not be performing exercises that fall in the adults' domain. If a child takes to extreme exercising, like an adult, he may develop psychological and anatomical problems; therefore, it becomes the duty of the parents to guide their child in the right direction.
As a parent, you have to understand that children begin developing strong bones only after they get to 14 years of age, this growth continuing right up to 18–20 years of age. If they resort to heavy exercises at a tender age, it may impact their bones adversely; especially among girls this can lead to poor bone health. Children are also vulnerable to growth-related injuries from overuse such as the Osgood–Schlatter disease, which causes intense knee pain in many young athletes and is caused when the front muscles of the thigh are pulled.
Because of their small body size, the surface-to-muscle mass ratio of children is much higher than for adults. This makes their temperature regulation system not as efficient as adults and hence they are more susceptible to injury when their muscles are not sufficiently warmed up. Also, children do not sweat as much as adults do, and hence they are vulnerable to heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Their muscle mass is low and their hormonal system is still not fully developed; this makes it hard for them to build up strength, stamina and speed. Their capacity to exercise is inherently limited by their breathing pattern and heart response during exercise.
Before considering an exercising regimen for your child, you must obtain medical clearance. You have to see that your child performs only exercises as recommended for his age. There have to be at least 1–2 days of rest between two intense workouts. Also, be careful that the exercise program is a mix of aerobic and strength training – do not allow your child to focus only on weights.
Before exercise, the child has to stretch his limbs and warm up. After warming up, the child must start with light exercises and then move up the ladder as the situation demands. There must be no more than three alternate exercise sessions per week. The child must drink plenty of water during and after exercise as he loses minerals and fluids while sweating. Drinking water will also prevent dehydration.
Yes, every child must exercise. But he must do the exercises that are right for his age and he must not overdo them. Remember this while encouraging your child to take an exercise program. Be seeing you at the playground – with your kid in tow, of course.
