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It can be tough to find time to work out and squeeze in a little exercise in a calendar that's already full to bursting. But find time if you must. Even your little one stands to gain a lot of health benefits from exercise.
Studies have shown that recreational exercise has helped bring down the incidence of colds. A moderate workout also proved to play a major role in getting immune cells to circulate in the body much better and faster, enabling them to kill bacteria and viruses more efficiently. Remember that at age 2 to 6, your child's immunity foundation is still underdeveloped. Moderate exercise will help enhance his defense against sickness.
As a pediatrician and a child development expert, I highly recommend exercising. It helps keep your child healthy inside and out. Apart from its obvious health benefits, it also helps produce happy hormones or what we doctors call endorphins. These help chase away the blues and fight stress, which is known to punch holes in your child's immunity foundation. A little physical activity also inhibits the growth of bad bacteria.
The list of good things exercise can do for the child's body just goes on. This only proves that there really is no excuse to not work out. Don't put it off another day. The next time you catch your child glued to either the TV or computer screen, try to pull him up and get him outside the house.
There are a lot of fun things your family can do together after a day at the office or school. Walk around the neighborhood block for a little exercise and bonding time. Play tag. Toss around that Frisbee disk that's been gathering dust for ages. Take a dip at the clubhouse pool. Better yet, take up a sport you and your child can enjoy together. If the work and school week proved to be too hectic for you, there's always the weekend. It's the best time to get into recreational activities.
There's nothing quite like a little exercise to get those muscles working, your heart pumping, your relationship with your child going and your immune system functioning in top form.
But be careful about going overboard with your child's work out. Too much physical exertion can have the opposite effect on his immunity foundation. The name of the game is moderation.
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