When most adults think about exercise, they imagine working out in the gym on a treadmill or lifting weights. But for children, exercise means playing and being physically active. Kids exercise when they have gym class at school, football practice, or dance class. They're also exercising when they're at recess, riding bikes, or playing tag.

The Many Benefits of Exercise

Everyone can benefit from regular exercise. A child who is active will:

• have stronger muscles and bones
• have a leaner body because exercise helps control body fat
• be less likely to become overweight
• decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• possibly lower blood pressure levels
• have a better outlook on life.

In addition to the health benefits of regular exercise, kids who are physically fit sleep better and are better able to handle the physical and emotional challenges that a typical day presents - be that running to catch a bus, bending down to tie a shoe, or studying for a test.

The Three Elements of Fitness
If you watch other children in the playground, you've seen the three elements of fitness in action. The child:

1. runs away from the kid that's "it"
2. plays on the play equipment
3. bends down to tie his or her shoes

Parents should encourage their kids to do a variety of activities so that they can work on all three elements.

Endurance is developed when someone regularly engages in aerobic activity (aerobic means "with air"). During aerobic exercise, the heart beats faster and a person breathes harder. When done regularly and for continuous periods of time, aerobic activity strengthens the heart and improves the body's ability to deliver oxygen to all its cells.

Aerobic exercise can be fun for both adults and children. Some examples of aerobic activities include:

• basketball
• bicycling
• ice-skating
• in-line skating
• football
• swimming
• tennis
• walking
• jogging
• running

Improving strength doesn't have to mean lifting weights. Although some children benefit from lifting weights, it should be done under the supervision of an experienced adult who works with children. But most kids don't need a formal weight-training programme to be strong. Push-ups, stomach crunches, pull-ups, and other exercises help tone and strengthen muscles. Children also incorporate strength activities in their play when they climb, do a handstand, or wrestle.

Stretching exercises help improve flexibility, allowing muscles and joints to bend and move easily through their full range of motion. Kids look for opportunities every day to stretch when they try to get a toy just out of reach, practice a split, or flip over the couch.

How Much Exercise Is Enough?

The percentage of children who are overweight has more than doubled over the past 30 years. Although many factors are contributing to this epidemic, kids are becoming more sedentary. In other words, they're sitting around a lot more than they used to.

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