Exercise in Children With Obesity Essay

Introduction

Obesity affects an average of 13.7 million children and adolescents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018), figures which add voice to the ever-growing need for exercise in early years. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (2010) recommends at least thirty minutes daily of planned physical activity and an hour of free play per day for children from two years onwards. Exercise is responsible for the development of gross, fine and locomotor skills, coordination and balance.

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Children acquire gross motor skills through movement of large body parts (legs and arms) like kicking (Kidshealth.org., 2018), whereas fine motor skills involve the smaller ones (fingers, toes, wrists, and feet), developed through activities like using a pencil (Kelly, 2018). Coordination and balance involve combining more than one skill towards one goal, like using both arms and legs (Greutman, 2011) to paddle and control a bicycle. Locomotor skills on their part focus on how a child masters control of the body's mobility, like skipping or jumping (Marin, Weise, & Adolph, 2000). These skills build a child's strength, endurance and stability.

Children are prone to prefer less tedious activities like watching TV, therefore caregivers should encourage physical activities to make them active. The American Academy of Pediatrics (2018) recommends that exercise looks enjoyable so that children do not feel forced as it kills their confidence. As much as most outdoor activities like football require physical exertion, the advantage is that children tend to participate in them regardless of their love for sports, reason Rabbitt (2018) proposes taking on the role of a playmate rather than a trainer to give children the excitement of competition.

Apart from the common outdoor activities, indoor activities like dancing can come in handy; where a practitioner leads the routine as children try move their bodies in unison. Drama and role play form another way through which the indoors can be used for exercise, like dressing up in to look like fairy-tale characters, singing along to nursery rhymes (like 'five little ducks'), freeze-dancing or playing balloon volleyball (Serednicki, 2017). Simple obstacle courses and games like musical chairs or playing with foam balls can also be another approach to indoor exercise.

Benefits of Exercise

The American Heart Association (2018) recommends regular physical activity as a way of improving cardiovascular health because exercise enhances the efficiency of the heart, giving it the energy to function better. When exercising, the heart tends to pump more blood at a slower beat, which increases its ability to work under stressful conditions comfortably and helps in controlling blood pressure. Furthermore, physical activity at a stage where bones acquire mass improves bone development. Through walking or running, a child's muscles push against the bones, making them stronger (Shriver, 2016).

During exercise, breathing increases to about fifteen times more than the average speed, a need that forces the lungs to work harder to cope with the increased demand for oxygen (Breathe, 2016). As they suck in oxygen, they expel carbon dioxide, which implies that the lungs operate at optimum to continuously keep at par. The long-term benefit is that it minimizes the risk of lung complications (like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) in later years (Hancox, 2018).

As per research, children who engage in exercise during the day had an easier time falling asleep and slept longer compared to their inactive counterparts (Brunner, 2009), expounding that every idle hour affected a child's sleeping pattern by three minutes. The explanation is that when children are physically active, they burn more calories and get dehydrated; therefore the exhaustion makes them sleep comfortably. A continued pattern in sleeping and waking up builds the child's long-term routine and ensures he or she gets sufficient sleep which is essential for well-being.

According to Ioan-Sabin (2015), exercise creates a platform through which children acquire skills, values and behavior patterns to enable them fit within an environment. This socialization allows for children to interact, share ideas and knowledge, as well as nurture skills like competition and teamwork. Children are also able to meet and spend valuable time with friends out of class, which teaches them how to solve conflicts, communicate and work in partnerships towards a shared goal.

The role of the Practitioner in Exercise

Children's coordination and balance are significantly structured when they play in environments that have ample space to run and jump. Outdoors, therefore, becomes the first choice, as the vast area gives them the freedom to be energetic and explore as much as possible (Adams et al., 2014). It is the practitioner's responsibility to ensure the environment where children exercise is devoid of potential dangers like direct exposure to harsh sun rays or rain, sharp objects, moving vehicles and harmful insects like wasps or bees.

Some forms of exercise require adult supervision, which calls for the practitioner's availability to offer guidance, encouragement and propose exciting ideas to help children stay safe while keeping fit (Russell, 2016). This includes warming up, resting between exercises and warming down. Furthermore, practitioners should plan sensible fitness routines so that the little ones exercise within their limits rather than straining themselves. Children can also be made to subconsciously exercise by incorporating activities into their daily activities, like taking the stairs rather than the elevator.

Listening to a child's fears and concerns about exercise is another integral part of any child-practitioner relationship, as it helps in knowing areas which need empowering to build confidence and willingness. Some children could have problems exercising because of low self-esteem issues, therefore listening creates a conducive environment for them to seek help, guidance and ask questions that they would otherwise have kept secret (Clark, 2014). Children too tend to have interesting ideas and feelings, some which could be incorporated into the exercise routines for the benefit of the child.

Planning Age-appropriate Exercise

Exercise in a child's routine is chosen depending on age, diet and self-drive. Though most children under one year haven't explored enough to make friends and are usually alone, they need outdoor exercise like their older counterparts (Russell, 2016). Children younger than a year old should have simple exercises where only their legs and arms move (like tummy time) to strengthen their hips, neck, and back, which is essential for crawling. As they reach their first birthday, they can be introduced to softballs and simple musical instruments. The most appropriate activities for this age include clapping, singing, dancing, and rolling the ball around (Courson, Wallace, White & Jambor, 2010).

At two years, a child is learning how to socialize but on a small scale, which makes most play time have one extra child to make a pair. Some of the most preferred toys at this point are crayons, painting material, and play-mud because two-year-olds enjoy scribbling on paper with crayons or creating artifacts from mud. To help in the development of their fine motor skills, they can be given tasks like opening lids from jars, sorting out colors and shapes or stacking building blocks. Since it is a stage where most children can walk and run, they can also be directed to do simple exercises like chasing each other or hopping.

The third year is a social stage in a child's life, meaning play time could have about four friends. Puzzles and game boards make the more significant percentage of their play tools, as well as bicycles and tricycles. With the growth in physical strength as well as coordination, their risk-taking confidence rises which calls for close supervision especially during activities like climbing, riding and sliding (Courson, Wallace, White & Jambor, 2010). Children who prefer the indoors can play games like 'I Spy' which helps them learn and internalize their surroundings.

Four-year-old children are at the schooling age, which means they have more than six playmates. Children of this age also enjoy lending a hand to class and household chores, therefore, caregivers could allow them to participate in activities like dusting or taking care of pets. Since they are busy and experimental, they could 'play-pretend' by taking on roles like a doctor or pilot, as well as play soccer and basketballs. Other activities that build gross motor skills for this age are balancing on one foot or going up and down a long flight of stairs.

At ages five and six are stages, children have better fine motor skills, which makes them cringe at competitive activities because they do not handle losing very well. They are therefore better put into pairs and given activities like stacking crates, building structures with outdoor blocks or playing structured games like 'Simon says' which sharpen their locomotor skills. Between seven and ten children can reason logically, which makes them adept at solving complex puzzles (like Monopoly or Chess). They can be made to work in groups; however, it is important to note that this age prefers playing with peers of the same gender.

References

Adams, C., Donnelly, C., Johnson, K., Payne, B., Slagle, A., & Stewart, S. (2014). The Importance of Outdoor Play and Its Impact on Brain Development in Children. Retrieved from https://education.umkc.edu/download/berkley/The-Importance-of-Outdoor-Play-and-Its-Impact-on-Brain-Develpoment-in-Children.pdf

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2018). Preschooler - Physical Activity. Retrieved from https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/HALF-Implementation-Guide/Age-Specific-Content/Pages/Preschooler-Physical-Activity.aspx

American Heart Association. (2018). American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults. Retrieved from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults

Breathe, S. (2016). Your Lungs and Exercise. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818249/

Brunner, S. (2009). Physical Activity in Children Improves Their Sleeping Patterns. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158482.php

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Childhood Obesity Facts | Overweight & Obesity | CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html

Clark, A. (2014). Listening as a way of life - Why and how we listen to young children. Retrieved from http://www.exeter.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Listening-to-children-leaflet_NCB.pdf

Courson, D., Wallace, C., White, M., & Jambor, T. (2010). Planning a Developmentally Appropriate Program for Children, 2nd Edition. Retrieved from http:// asuchildhoodservices.org/docs/planning_developmentally_appropriate_program.pdf

Greutman, H. (2011). Improving Bilateral Coordination Skills in Kids. Retrieved from https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/improving-bilateral-coordination-skills-for-kids.htmlHancox

B. Prof. (2018). Does Physical Fitness Enhance Lung Function in Children and Young Adults? Retrieved from https://dunedinstudy.otago.ac.nz/news-and-events/2018/does-physical-fitness-enhance-lung-funct

Ioan-Sabin, S. (2015). Improving Socialization Through Sport Games. How Does Team Sport Affect Children at Primary School Level. ResearchGate, pp 2,3.

Kelly, K. (2018). Fine Motor Skills: What You Need to Know. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/movement-coordination-issues/all-about-fine-motor-skillsKidshealth.org. (2018). Kids and Exercise....