by Joan Inong

Created on: May 09, 2009

Our lives are becoming increasingly sedentary and busy all at the same time. In particular, the number of obese children is also increasing. We advocate diet and exercise, but children who have strictly regimented lifestyles are stuck wondering where their childhood went. However, since we cannot choose between health and childhood, it is important that all children recognize the value of exercise.

First, children generally like to move around and go outside. They thrive on doing things. Yet, because our sources of entertainment today are centered around objects that stay inside the home, children today are not moving around as much as they used to. We cannot simply blame obese or overweight children. If they would rather sit inside and play video games, they have made that choice on their own. But, it is also the parents' responsibility to make sure that their children are getting proper amounts of exercise, too.

Exercise is also a word that is often stressed so much and emphasized so often that it gets bland. Children don't want to exercise. But, if the word exercise were to be defined in such a way that it didn't constrict what children naturally want to do, then children will enjoy exercise as much as any other activity, like playing video games.

That is why, for children, the word "exercise" should be replaced with "moving around." Whenever they move around, they can recognize it as some form of exercise.

Exercise should also be about more than just the physical aspect. Exercise is connected to one's mental state, too. Mental health is an important part of life, just as physical health is. But, most people, and especially most children, do not think about mental health in this way or at all. Exercise has been proven to reduce mental stress. In our increasingly hectic and busy lifestyles, we need these forms of stress relief. Children, too, are becoming more stressed as a result of their advancing environment. They cannot be victims in a society that ignores their mental health. Exercise should be a part of daily life, and hopefully, as a result, will produce children who are virtually stress-free.

Children often do not know the value of exercise. But, it is up to the adults in their lives to help instill that value into them. We cannot simply expect children to know that exercise is needed on a daily basis; it is not their responsibility to know. However, it is up to us, as the adults, to teach them that knowledge, and to teach them in such a way as to make exercise a good part of a healthy life.

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