By Marcela Barillas (nutritionist)
Staying active as a family creates lifelong healthy habits. It’s an excellent way to create healthy habits and spend time with our loved ones! Watching a lot of TV, playing many video games, and spending a lot of time on the computer can cause weight gain that can lead to obesity. Too much screen time reduces the number of outdoor activities and can decrease imagination and creativity. Staying active can help you feel healthier and happier.
There are different types of physical activities that are recommended:
Aerobic activities: also known as cardio or endurance activities, they challenge our large muscles, increase our respiratory capacity, and strengthen our heart.
Examples: swimming, brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, jumping rope, skipping, and dancing.
Bone-strengthening activities: also known as weight-bearing or load-bearing, these activities cause force on the bones providing bone strength. The rate of bone development is at its peak during early childhood, so it is important for children to do bone-strengthening activities.
Examples: basketball, running, tennis, gymnastics, and jumping rope.
Muscle-strengthening activities: these make our muscles work by holding a force or weight. When participating in muscle building activities, variety is key in order to work different muscles in the body such as legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.
Examples: jumping, stair-climbing, soccer, volleyball, pilates, weightlifting, and strength training exercises.
Practical tips to start moving:
- Plan outdoor activities for the weekend, such as playing baseball, throwing hoops, jumping rope, or running with your dog.
- Walk in nature. If your neighborhood doesn’t have places to go for a walk, go to a shopping mall.
- Take a bike ride with your family.
- Play basketball or soccer in a park.
- Use the stairs instead of escalators or elevators.
Source: Esto es azúcar