Fun Exercises to Fight Childhood Obesity

Fighting obesity and physical inactivity from the time when children are young is crucial to reducing their risk of suffering from various health problems as adults. In addition, physical activity also boosts their self-esteem.

Childhood obesity has become one of the most serious health challenges. It’s necessary to be aware of the seriousness of the issue to reduce the risk of many diseases that result from obesity.

In this article, we’ll share some fun exercises to fight childhood obesity.

Exercises to Fight Childhood Obesity

The foundations of a healthy lifestyle are diet and exercise. Thus, you must be well informed and make sure your child doesn’t lead a sedentary lifestyle. This way, your child will grow with more intellectual and physical stimuli and will understand the importance of taking care of the body.

That said, let’s take a look at some of the best and most fun exercises to help children stay in shape.

1. Martial arts

There are many different martial arts. You can choose one depending on the child’s age and the goal you intend to achieve. This type of exercise allows children to have fun and lose weight while learning discipline, respect, perseverance, control of their body, and self-defense at the same time.

No matter what, you should instill in them the importance of stretching and warming up before starting any physical activity (in this case, the martial art you choose for them). This way, they’ll reduce the risk of injury and maximize their effort and results.

Martial arts are high-performance sports that help children burn calories and lose weight naturally within a few months.

2. Soccer

Soccer is the perfect sport for children because they really enjoy it. Although there are other good alternatives, soccer is a very effective sport to fight childhood obesity. In addition, soccer promotes teamwork, speed, skill, effort, strategy, and intelligence.

Another advantage of this sport is that it’s usually practiced in open outdoor spaces. Practicing soccer allows children to avoid physical inactivity. A soccer ball is a great gift for any child!

3. Swimming

Swimming is an ideal sport for any age, but it’s especially recommended for children. Converting physical activity into a game makes children not see it as an obligation and, therefore, they’ll be more motivated to practice it.

It’s imperative that a qualified adult constantly monitors a child who’s practicing a water activity, especially if they’re in a private pool where there are no lifeguards.

Swimming is one of the most complete sports and exercises the entire body. In addition to aiding weight loss, it helps children boost their self-confidence since they have to be in a bathing suit in front of other children.

4. Jumping Rope

One of the traditional games that burns a lot of calories is jumping rope. Thus, it’s no surprise why boxers from all around the world jump rope as part of their training. Jumping rope exercises the abdominal and leg muscles, boosts endurance, and improves heart function.

This is why this game has evolved so much in recent years. Using music to accompany the activity helps make it more enjoyable and motivates the child to sing along. Jumping rope also develops rhythm, coordination, endurance, and motor skills.

5. Hula Hoop

This is one of the most popular games worldwide. It consists of spinning a plastic hoop around the waist without letting it fall. To do so, you can only move your hips. This movement is precisely what makes it a very interesting and fun game to fight childhood obesity.

Hula hooping exercises coordination, flexibility, endurance, rhythm, and balance, while also helping children lose weight.