Children today, including adolescents, spend far fewer hours participating in outdoor play than in the past. A generation ago kids eagerly looked foreword to getting out of school so that they could play. Not so today.
Time that was once filled with hours of playing in the backyard or school ground has now been replaced with indoor sedentary activities - video games, TV and computer use. There is now definite evidence that kids today are inactive, out of shape, overweight and unhealthy.
We can call it a lifestyle problem, but the reality is as parents, educators and caregivers we have been negligent in acting as role models.
One reason children's play activities are healthy is that it burns off more calories. One 1998 study compared the calories burned in outdoors and indoors activities. The results were obvious but striking. Another study done in Japan in 1999 compared the activity rates of obese to normal weight children as young as three years of age. Outdoor play activities made the difference.
Childhood obesity is a serious health problem because it increases the chances of chronic diseases later on, such as heart disease, hypertension, Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer.
Another benefit of outdoor play activities is in preventing the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One 2004 study published in the American Journal of Public Health had parents rate the effectiveness of after school and weekend activities. Activities were divided into three categories: indoor, outdoors on grass and outdoors on concrete. The authors concluded that green outdoor settings reduce ADHD symptoms in children across a wide range of individual, residential and case characteristics.
In Sweden, researchers studied the amount of illness in children and concluded that the more kids played outside, the less they were sick. There are a couple of factors here. Exercise boosts the immune system, so when kids play outside they are much more active, and this in turn benefits the immune system.
We know that sunshine increases vitamin D levels, an essential nutrient for bone growth and health. The key is how much to get. The direct summer sun is to be avoided. The experts recommend ten minutes of sun exposure to the extremities and face two or three times per week. Children obviously need help learning how much exposure is healthy and how to protect themselves from sunburn.
Those specialists in the wellness and natural healing professions actively encourage parents to devise strategies to help their children maintain a healthy lifestyle. The key to this is the parental responsibility of putting time limits on how much passive inactivity will be tolerated. For example, limit television time and make this part of the "house rules".
Most of us are blessed to have an abundance of opportunities to enjoy our outdoor environment what with public parks, play grounds and hiking trails. Or any other outdoor play you find suitable for your children, there is no excuse not to get outside and enjoy what the outdoors has to offer. Anytime is a good time to start. The health benefits are immediate and last a lifetime. We owe this to our kids.
Time that was once filled with hours of playing in the backyard or school ground has now been replaced with indoor sedentary activities - video games, TV and computer use. There is now definite evidence that kids today are inactive, out of shape, overweight and unhealthy.
We can call it a lifestyle problem, but the reality is as parents, educators and caregivers we have been negligent in acting as role models.
One reason children's play activities are healthy is that it burns off more calories. One 1998 study compared the calories burned in outdoors and indoors activities. The results were obvious but striking. Another study done in Japan in 1999 compared the activity rates of obese to normal weight children as young as three years of age. Outdoor play activities made the difference.
Childhood obesity is a serious health problem because it increases the chances of chronic diseases later on, such as heart disease, hypertension, Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer.
Another benefit of outdoor play activities is in preventing the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One 2004 study published in the American Journal of Public Health had parents rate the effectiveness of after school and weekend activities. Activities were divided into three categories: indoor, outdoors on grass and outdoors on concrete. The authors concluded that green outdoor settings reduce ADHD symptoms in children across a wide range of individual, residential and case characteristics.
In Sweden, researchers studied the amount of illness in children and concluded that the more kids played outside, the less they were sick. There are a couple of factors here. Exercise boosts the immune system, so when kids play outside they are much more active, and this in turn benefits the immune system.
We know that sunshine increases vitamin D levels, an essential nutrient for bone growth and health. The key is how much to get. The direct summer sun is to be avoided. The experts recommend ten minutes of sun exposure to the extremities and face two or three times per week. Children obviously need help learning how much exposure is healthy and how to protect themselves from sunburn.
Those specialists in the wellness and natural healing professions actively encourage parents to devise strategies to help their children maintain a healthy lifestyle. The key to this is the parental responsibility of putting time limits on how much passive inactivity will be tolerated. For example, limit television time and make this part of the "house rules".
Most of us are blessed to have an abundance of opportunities to enjoy our outdoor environment what with public parks, play grounds and hiking trails. Or any other outdoor play you find suitable for your children, there is no excuse not to get outside and enjoy what the outdoors has to offer. Anytime is a good time to start. The health benefits are immediate and last a lifetime. We owe this to our kids.
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