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The Importance for Children to Maintain
a Healthy Lifestyle
Children,
when born, come into this earth with their internal organs in perfect
shape and functional efficiency (assuming it is a healthy child). For
example, if you were to compare a child's heart with that of a healthy
adult, the former will be technically more sound and healthier than the
latter. The rough lifestyles of our everyday survival on this planet
will have definitely taken its toll on our vital organs, mostly to a
point of no return. Having said that, having a god-gifted healthy body
and mind does not necessarily mean or guarantee a healthy survival for a
child in the years ahead. What holds he key is the health and fitness of
the child as it grows up. The health is one such aspect that has to be
nurtured carefully and systematically so that as the child grows older,
his/her body and its immune system will become fully equipped to cope
well with the challenges that life throws at him/her. In fact, this is
exactly what all pediatricians preach and the core of the responsibility
every parent has to shoulder when it comes to the healthy upbringing of
their children.
The reasons
as to why children need to be strong and healthy are multi pronged, to
put it in a general perspective, as mentioned already, being strong in
the growth phase lays a solid foundation for their healthier wellbeing
as they grow up. More specifically, it is in the earlier years of
childhood, in the age group 3 to 10, that the development of vital
organs, the mind, muscles, bones, and the body as a whole take off.
During this stage, it is very essential that a child receives all of the
required nutrients, vitamins, and minerals so that his/her system
matures in the most natural and balanced way possible. Even though, a
person's body continues to grow even past the age of 18, it is the
younger years that are crucial and therefore requires more attention.
Another
aspect that contributes to the strength of a growing child is the amount
of exercise he/she receives daily. By exercise, what is meant is the
physical activity from games and light sports that the child gets
regularly, and not any gym sessions (gym exercise is only for adults).
Studies show that for proper bone development, young children need at
least 40 minutes of rigorous or high intensity play a day. Regarding
sporting activities, anything from gymnastics and basketball to karate
classes or soccer could provide these amounts of activity levels. It is
the parent's job to make the right choices of activities for their
children based on their tastes and interests. Remember, forcing things
on youngsters will not work.
Yet another
factor that benefits from all of the above mentioned aspects is the
immunity of the child. Childhood is a phase in everybody's life when a
yearly fever or similar ailment are quite normal. Being strong
physically will ensure that the chances of a child contacting such
illnesses minimizes substantially, if not being completely eliminated.
Even though, it is true that having a bout of any number of common
illnesses during childhood is good for developing immunity, some other
degenerative illnesses such as goiter, kwashiorkor, and rickets can be
completely prevented with good nutrition and healthcare.
The reasons
as to why children need to be strong is that it helps them to live their
childhood peacefully and happily, without any serious illnesses or
health issues. Further, having in place a sound foundation on health and
nutrition ensures that they will reach their adulthood in the best shape
possible, both mentally and physically, and also as empowered human
beings having experienced the essence and importance of child health and
nutrition. In a way, it is this knowledge or realization that has the
power to reform the world and the future generations. To know more about
children's health, see similar resources on the internet.
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