The American Heart Association held a Congress a few months ago, after which the main conclusion that Today's children are 15 percent less fit for exercise than their parents. In order to arrive at this statement, the analysis of 50 studies carried out by the School of Health Sciences of the University of South Australia in which more than 25 million children between nine and 17 years old have been taken into account in 28 countries
These studies include the period between 1964 and 2010, and cardiovascular resistance was tested according to the distance that a child can run in a given time, or the time it took to run a specific distanceThe problem that arises is the following: if a young person is not fit now they may be more prone to develop pathologies such as heart disease later in life.
As a general recommendation, children should perform at least 60 minutes of daily activity during which the large muscles of the body are used. This activity can be scheduled or free., that is, it is worth taking the child to martial arts classes, but it is also worth letting him run around the mountain with his friends, and of course it is very appropriate to take the family bike to take a ride when they leave school.
Is it true that today's children are worse off than we are at their age?
The analysis of studies, is the first that shows that the cardiovascular health of children has declined worldwide since 1975. Stresses the reduction of six percent in cardiovascular resistance in children in the United States (between 1970 and 2000); while in other countries it has also been reduced by six percent.
The decrease in cardiovascular endurance performance could be caused by various factors: social, behavioral, physical, psychological and physiological. One aspect that researchers highlight in a prevalent way is weight gain
The authors of the aforementioned conclusions highlight the following
The practice of daily exercise is a heart-healthy and indispensable habit to keep us healthy, and this also applies to the smallest of the house. Walking, running, cycling, there are many options to make our children exercise every day. Exercise, together with a balanced diet, prevents diseases derived from sedentary lifestyle and poor nutritional habits, such as obesity, a problem that is increasing among children.
The Spanish Heart Foundation has a section called Benefits of sports in children, in which There are indications according to the age of the children, the time at which each type of exercise should be performed, as well as tips to motivate them in the practice of the exercise; and finally also includes information on the prevention of injuries in physical activity.
Do not forget that physical activity must be accompanied by a balanced diet, to achieve a good state of health today and in the future.
