Sports are the key to a child’s health
Sport has a positive effect on children’s health
German pediatrician Hermann Joseph Kahl confirmed that practicing sports activities has a positive effect on the health of children, whether those of normal weight or those who are overweight, even if it does not help them lose weight.
Kal, a member of the German Association of Pediatricians and Adolescents in Cologne, explained that sporting activities positively affect the relationship of fat to muscle, the percentage of fat to total body weight, as well as the extent of fat distribution in the body. Hence, it is of great importance for the physical fitness of the body and the health of the cardiovascular system.
The German doctor added: “Exercise prevents the accumulation of fat in the abdomen and also reduces the total percentage of fat in the entire body, whether in children who have a slender figure or obese children, in addition to improving the performance of the heart and lungs.”
Therefore, parents should motivate their child to exercise, whether he is obese or fit, for at least an hour a day with moderate stress on the body, especially after sitting for long periods while studying and doing schoolwork.
Cal relies on the results of a recent American study in which 220 children between the ages of 8 and 9 years were monitored for 9 months, noting that the weight of these children was within the normal range for more than half of them and exceeded this rate for others.
During this study, approximately half of the children exercised an average of 5 times a week for 70 minutes each time, while the other half followed the normal course of the day without exercising. Throughout the study, the researchers monitored the rate of heart and lung performance, as well as the percentage of adipose tissue and the percentage of abdominal fat in both groups.
It is true that the group of children who did not exercise did not show any changes in heart and lung performance rates, but their percentage of fat in the abdomen and the entire body increased more than the others who exercised for nine months.
