Keeping Fit and Having Fun

When I finish OT school, I plan to specialize in children and children with special needs. One of the biggest issues I see on a day-day basis is the exponentially increasing problem of childhood obesity.
These days, childhood obesity are one of the biggest health concerns in the country. Adults are concerned but did you ever think that kids might recognize it as a problem as well? OT's work in the school system as well as the home, so obesity, exercising and eating healthy are things that are illustrated through these specialists.

Kids Health conducted a KidsPoll and asked 1,168 boys and girls about the issue. More than half of them said too many kids are overweight. This is important because knowing there is a problem is the first step to getting answers to solve this obesity problem. 

What does "overweight" mean? Well people who are overweight have too much body fat. The person who is overweight weighs more than is healthy, considering many factors such as: age, height, and sex. The number of kids are are overweight has increased tremendously over the last 30 years and this can lead to serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

Overweight kids may get teased or bullied by other kids which is sad because these children typically don't make friends or do well in school.

It's great that kids are thinking about weight problems and the best way to solve them. It's like putting together a difficult puzzle. Understanding that there's a problem is one piece. Understanding what causes kids to be overweight is another. And knowing that eating healthy and exercising are the best strategies to fix the problem is a very important piece.

Getting kids to exercise more in school should be more serious than it is. Kids exercise all the time without even thinking of it. Like when you run around outside or play kickball during gym, you are exercising and staying active. You can also do extracurricular activities such as dance, sports, or even stretching.




Here are some exercises and activities to build strong muscles:

• push-ups
• pull-ups
• tug-of-war
• rowing
• running
• inline skating
• bike riding

The most important thing I take from exercising is that exercising makes you feel GOOD! 

It feels good to have a strong, flexible body that can do all the activities you enjoy — like running, jumping, and playing with your friends. It's also fun to be good at something, like scoring a basket, hitting a home run, or perfecting a dive.