Keeping Kids Fit
A few more words about children’s fitness. Summer holidays are a great time to go out, spend time in the fresh air and forget about TV and computer games. Researches show about 2 million British kids are overweight and 700.000 of whom are obese.
Obesity can cause serious diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. The reason for this situation is lack of exercise and poor diet. Children should be more engaged in a physical activity and keeping fit should be more fun.
“The trouble is, most kids are bored,” says Kelly Holmes, Double Olympic medal winner. “Parents and teachers need to make sure they’re engaging kids in things that they love doing. If your daughter loves a street dance class at school, for example, or your son loves rock climbing, follow it up - book them some extra lessons.”
During summer holidays many children are not involved in any activities. Organizing a fun day doesn’t need to cost a fortune. You can spend a day cycling. If you don’t have bikes - hire them. Plan your journey, take some food and do a picnic. Your kids will be delighted and you’ll spend a great family day. Or go to the park with your children and their friends, and organize races or a football match. You can also take some board games. It’s much more fun to play in the fresh air and with the mates than at home.
An extremely important thing is to eat right. Make sure your kid gets a good healthy breakfast. Even if he/she is not hungry, explain that the most important meal during the day.
Kelly says: “Eating in the morning kickstarts your metabolism; the earlier you start to burn calories, the more you will burn in the course of the day. It keeps your brain alert - attention span and concentration will be better, at work and school, and you won’t get irritable or tired so easily.”
