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Sami Sadler
Ms. Tillery
Brit Lit/Comp
28 October 2011
Kids and Exercise
Exercising or staying active is important for everyone but it is especially important for
children. Keeping children active helps to establish healthy habits early. Daily exercise for
children could be as simple as skipping rope, playing hopscotch or running from the swings to
the slide at the playground. The more fun the activity is, the more likely it will become a healthy
habit for life.
Ben Golden wrote an article in The Daily of the University of Washington titled “Why
Are Sports So Important?” In this article, Mr. Golden wrote “It is the world of sports, which
should be played, watched and studied but never ignored” (Golden). He goes onto to compare
and contrast sports and sport athletes to everyday activities and people. He states that athletes
are our modern day super heroes. Children look up to and emulate athletes as role models and
most of the time that is a good thing. When children have role models they aspire to be like, they
do the things that those role models do such as play sports and therefore keep physically fit.
Exercise is necessary for young and old alike. Exercise has many benefits for children such as
keeping them at a healthy weight, teaching them important life lessons, and teaching them
healthy habits to take into life down the road.
Exercise for children is an important subject being discussed by researchers, parents, and
educators (Millner). When children are going through their formative years, exercise is more
important than anything (“Children’s Fitness: Helping Your Child Stay Active”). A great way

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that children can stay active is recess. Forty-two percent of school children throughout the nation
get more exercise during recess then they do in physical education class, according to the Rovert
Wood Johnson Foundation’s study (Millner). By allowing children to get exercise at school it
helps to control children’s weight. Obesity is becoming a huge problem for children between the
ages of two and nineteen. Seventeen percent of children between those ages are obese (Millner).
Recess is not just good for keeping children’s weight under control but also it keeps their minds
fresh. By giving children just fifteen minutes of recess a day it allows them to recharge their
minds and refresh their bodies. It is also proven that by giving children at least fifteen minutes
of recess a day, it helps them to behave better. It keeps them from getting exhausted, tense, and
frazzled (Millner).
Children need to get some kind of physical activity every day. Allowing children to get
physical activity every day allows them to be healthier now and throughout their lives. It helps
their bones and joints to develop stronger as well as increasing their endurance and muscle
strength (Pate). Exercise also helps to boost self-esteem and increase energy. Children who
exercise regularly are less likely to develop diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and
some cancers (Pate). Regular exercise sets the groundwork for a healthy life style.
For children to get adequate exercise they need to exercise for at least 60 minutes most
days of the week (Kolata). There are a huge variety of fun things children can do to exercise such
as sports, dancing, riding bikes, swimming and walking. Some household chores are strenuous
enough to provide enough activity to be considered exercise.
There are several types of exercises and each type of exercise is important for a different
reason. One important type of exercise is strength training. It is very important for kids to
participate in strength traning exercises. Some activities that are considered strength training

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exercises are push-ups or pull-ups (“Why Exercise is Cool”). Strength training helps muscles to
become stronger so children can be active longer when they become adults. Also strong muscles
protect joints, which helps to prevent injuries (“Why Exercise is Wise”).
Another type of exercise that is important for children is aerobic exercise. Aerobic
exercises are exercises that get the heart beating faster. Some examples of sports that are aerobic
would be swimming, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, hockey, and even rowing (“Why Exercise is
Wise”). A child does not have to play an organized sport to do aerobic exercises. Some aerobic
exercises that you can be done alone are riding a bike, running, dancing, swimming, and quick
walking. Aerobic exercises help to build stamina and cardiovascular capacity. Children who
regularly participate in aerobic exercises can play longer and harder than the children who do not
participate in aerobic exercise.
Flexibility training is another type of exercise that is especially important for children.
When children do exercises that are considered part of a flexibility training program, it allows
their muscles and joints to bend and move easier (“Why Exercise is Wise”). Increased flexibility
helps to prevent muscle strains and sprains in children. There are many activities that
incorporate flexibility exercises such as ballet, martial arts, gymnastics, and yoga. Stretching
before and after all types of exercises helps to build more flexibility (“Why Exercise is Wise”).
Doctors advise that all children benefit from some kind of regular exercise even if they
have a disability or other condition such as asthma or diabetes. For example, many people do not
know that children with diabetes can play sports and exercise in much the same way as children
with out this condition. There are many well known athletes that have diabetes such as Olympic
gold-medal swimmer Gary Hall Jr., Major League Baseball player Jason Johnson, professional
golfers Kelli Kuehne, and Michelle McGann ("Sports, Exercise, and Diabetes"). Exercise helps

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children with diabetes by strengthening bones and muscles; it reduces risks of additional
diseases, as well as allows insulin to work better in the body. Exercising helps increase energy
and relieves tension and stress. It also helps to boost mood and allow for better focus ("Sports,
Exercise, and Diabetes").
Some children with diabetes also have hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia is when the body
does not have enough insulin to allow the glucose that is released throughout exercise to be used.
Then when the glucose is not used, it stays in the blood. This situation can then lead to high
blood sugar. If a child has diabetes and has a high number of ketones, they should not exercise
because it can make them very, very sick ("Sports, Exercise, and Diabetes"). Ketones are formed
when the body starts to burn it’s fat for fuel. In addition, children with diabetes need to watch for
low blood sugar when they are exercising. Low blood sugar is caused because the body needs
extra glucose throughout exercise ("Sports, Exercise, and Diabetes"). Which is called
hypoglycemia. Therefore, exercise is important to manage your diabetes.
Even though exercise has great benefits, it can be bad if it is overdone. When a person
exercises too much it is called compulsive exercise and can be a sign of a bigger issue such as an
eating disorder. Compulsive exercise is sometimes used by a person with an eating disorder as
another way to lose weight or to change their body shape. Another way exercise can be bad is by
overtraining (“Why Exercise Is Wise”). Overtraining is when athletes participate in only one
sport or activity non-stop, year round. When children only participate in one sport year round it
causes them to be more injury prone because of the constant use of the same muscle groups and
joints. Overtraining can be avoided by cross-training. Cross-training is when a child participates
in a different sport or activity than they normally do for some portion of the year. An example is

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that if a child plays basketball they could also do an activity such a biking or swimming (“Why
Exercise Is Wise”).
Exercise and sports are especially good for girls. Researchers have proven that girls who
are active in sports tend to do better in school. Also girls who are active in a sport learn
important skills such as teamwork and goal-setting (“5 Reasons Girls Should Play Sports”).
Additionally, girls active in sports tend to have less stress and pressure and higher self-esteem.
Researchers believe that girls who are active as children are less likely to smoke as they get
older. Also it is thought that young girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer or
osteoporosis (“5 Reasons Girls Should Play Sports”).
Michaela Breeze, an Olympic medalist from Wales, said she thinks by having positive
role models in the physical education department it helps to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle.
Success in things such as sports is great for children; it boosts their confidence which helps them
to believe in themselves. A healthy, active child is one who is fitter, alert, engaged, and equipped
to deal with life (Breeze). Exercise and organized sports can be a great way for children to vent
their frustrations and stresses. Physical activity helps children to stay on the right track and to
learn discipline and self-control.
Sports are a great way to exercise and teach children life lessons such as scheduling and
balancing activities (Breeze). In the long term sports can have a huge effect on children. Sports
and other types of exercises such as ballet or martial arts help to take the pressure off of children
and allow them to simply be kids. It is important for kids to be able to get away from school
work and clear their minds. By having an outlet such as sports children have a way to keep their
minds fresh which potentially helps them to do better in school.

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Works Cited
Breeze, Michaela. “Female weightlifter: Exercise is important for children.” WalesOnline.co.uk.
WalesOnline.co.uk, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. <http://www.walesonline.co.uk/health-check-
wales/fitness/2011/03/21/michaela-breeze-why-exercise-is-so-important-for-children-91466-
28362416/>.
“Children’s Fitness: Helping Your Child Stay Active.” findingDulcinea: The Librarian for the Internet
Age. findingDulcinea: The Librarian for the Internet Age, 2011. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides/Health/Children-s-Fitness.pg_00.html>.
“5 Reasons Girls Should Play Sports.” Kids Health. The Nemours Foundation, 2011. Web. 15 Sept.
2011. <http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/fit/5_sports.html?tracking=K_RelatedArticle>.
Golden, Ben. “Why Are Sports So Important?” The Daily of the University of Washington. The Daily of
the University of Washington, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. <http://dailyuw.com/news/2006/oct/
04/why-are-sports-so-important/>.
Kolata, Gina. “How Much Exercise Do Children Need?” The New York Times. The New York Times,
n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/health/healthspecial2/
15exercise.html>.
Pate, Russell R., Dr. Ph.D. “Fitness: Frequently Asked Questions.” Expert Advice. IFIC Foundation,
2007. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. <http://kidnetic.com/advice/#q192>.
“Sports, Exercise, and Diabetes.” Teens Health. The Nemours Foundation, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011.
<http://kidshealth.org/teen/diabetes_center/treatment/sports_diabetes.html>.
“Why Exercise Is Cool.” Kids Health. The Nemours Foundation, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011.
<http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/fit/work_it_out.html>.
“Why Exercise Is Wise.” Teen Health. The Nemours Foundation, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011.

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<http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/exercise_wise.html>.
“Why Kids Need Recess and Exercise.” Parenting. Parenting, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.parenting.com/article/why-kids-really-need-recess>.