It’s not uncommon for children who have obesity to become overweight adults. Teaching children healthy habits earlier encourages them to carry these healthy habits into adulthood. Not only will the child be healthier, but they’ll learn the importance of proper discipline and healthy habits when it comes to food and exercise.
Monitor the Activities That Promote Obesity
As a parent we should always be keeping an eye on what our children are up to. Obesity can affect anyone, even if other age groups or demographics may be at larger risk. This is why it’s very important to monitor the types of activities that children are engaged in. While childhood obesity is a result of many different variables and factors, one of the largest contributors is taking part in an excessive amount of sedentary activities. Such activities include watching television, playing games on the computer, browsing the internet, watching videos online, and similar activities. While these are not inherently problematic, they can become a problem when done excessively.
Lack of sleep can result in the body’s inability to properly metabolize food efficiently. Without sleep, our bodies become less effective across the board and this can affect our weight in negative ways. This is why it’s important to get children into proper sleep habits with regular bedtime routines that help them to maintain these habits without having to think about it.
With summer in full swing, everyone is out exploring, adventuring, and being active in their daily life. However, stretching after their physical activity is often overlooked. Many people forget about stretching, even those that are normally considered “active” individuals. Developing good stretching habits can help to improve flexibility and performance, especially in sports and other physical activities.
Greatly Improves Flexibility
Consistent stretch habits can improve an individual’s overall flexibility over time. This allows them to perform more efficiently during their sport or other physically demanding activity. Flexibility is important because it increase the range at which you can move each limb, allowing you to twist and reach further than you could without stretching.
Reduces the Risk of Injury
Stretching safely exposes your body to the strenuous limits that your sport or activity may introduce. By stretching in advance, it “prepares” the body for meeting those limits as they occur by loosening up the muscles slowly and carefully. Without stretching, if your muscle is forced to endure certain limits (typically very quickly and strongly), it can cause damage to the muscles. Stretching in advance will reduce the risk of injury because the muscle is already “prepared” for that exertion of force.
Increases Blood Flow for Performance
Not only does stretching improve flexibility and reduce the risk of injury, it will also help to improve the flow of blood through your body and the stretched muscles. Improved blood flow can help to improve overall performance, because each muscle is receiving more blood to help it perform more effectively.