Can Parents Influence Their Kids On Leading An Active Lifestyle During Childhood?
Can Parents Influence Their Kids On Leading An Active Lifestyle During Childhood?
Do you know that nearly 1 in 5 children in the United States is obese? Childhood obesity is a serious problem, affecting 13.7 million children and adolescents. Childhood obesity is also associated with multiple health concerns, such as increased risk in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, depression etc.
As the world becomes increasingly digitalized, it is not surprising to see kids becoming fatter and fatter. Many kids these days would prefer playing video games on their tablets or watching cartoon shows rather than play at the playground. This results in them leading a sedentary and inactive lifestyle at a very young age, which they are most likely to continue doing so even as they age.
As parents, we have the responsibility to stop this and ensure that our child is fit and healthy. In this article, we will discuss on whether parents can influence their kids to lead an active lifestyle during childhood.
The Answer is Yes!
Yes, parents can definitely influence their child to lead an active lifestyle. This is because children tend to look to their parents as role models. This means that your child is most likely going to follow what you do. Therefore, if you exercise, high chances are that your child will exercise as well, and vice-versa.
A new study has suggested that mothers play a determining factor in establishing the physical level of their child. However, this does not mean that fathers don’t play any role. It is just that mothers are able to influence their child more as compared to fathers. This shows that more policies should be created to help parents, especially mothers, in improving their child’s health.
Another study, involving over 500 mothers and children, found that the amount of physical activity of a mother and her child is closely related. This means that the more the mother works out, the more the child will work out as well. However, the study also stated that only 53% of mothers engaged in 30 minutes of moderate-to vigorous physical activity at least once a week. This is clearly not enough as the recommended amount of exercise should be 150 minutes a week.
In addition, many of the families today have both parents working. With their dual roles in working and taking care of the child, it may be hard for them to squeeze out time to get fit together with their child. This may also be the reason why only 53% of mothers engaged in 30 minutes of exercise at least once a week. Research has shown that new parents tend to be less active than their friends, who do not have children. They are also less likely to engage in the recommended amount of 150 minutes of exercise every week.
So, what can you do?
If you are one of the busy mothers who are unable to make time out to exercise with you kid, fret not. There are other ways that can get your child active and moving as well. You can install an indoor playground for your kid to play at. Having an indoor playground is beneficial for your kid as they can play at the indoor playground whenever they feel like it. They will also be happy to put down their devices when they see their new play area.
At Fitness Kid, we have a huge selection of kids’ indoor home playground for your child to choose from. Our indoor playgrounds are extremely easy to modify and set up, making it suitable to be set up in any rooms. Choose Fitness Kid as your indoor playground partner. Contact us to learn more about our products and the services that we offer.