Can anyone dispute the significance of being active? Probably not. Physical activities are undoubtedly related to our health, and we know that not being active could lead to dire consequences. There is a myriad of reasons why encouraging children to stay physically active is crucial. Experts at Wild Wood Adventure outline some of these reasons below:
Weight Management
It might come out as a cliché that children who engage in physical activities are less likely to have weight issues such as obesity. Unfortunately, despite this undeniable fact, children are not paying attention to physical activities and are becoming more overweight. Recently, we mentioned a study that revealed that one-third of Irish children today have never attempted climbing a tree, compared to a staggering seventy-four per cent of parents who said they used to climb trees often or even all the time as children.
These kinds of generational differences are partially the reason why a quarter of Irish children are considered either obese or overweight. Other than this distressing statistic, a recent report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) also suggested that by 2030, Ireland will have become the most obese country in Europe.
Bones & Muscles
Pre-teens and teenagers grow and develop at a pretty fast rate compared to adults, and it is during this period of growth that defines the health of an individual’s body. Children who indulge in more physical activities than others tend to develop stronger bones and muscles compared to their age mates. This helps with their overall health and even boosts their immune systems making them less susceptible to diseases like osteoporosis – a disease that is greatly influenced by bone and muscle strength when young.
Part of the reason why children today are not interested in physical activities is because of the continued rise of technology. A majority of people recognise the direct consequences that technology has regarding issue like obesity. However, there are still other subtle effects associated with the rise in technology, and they often go unnoticed. For instance, using smartphones and laptops in bed affects posture.
Mentality
Another fact that a majority of parents will concur with is that the fall in physical activity does not go away and instead instils a sense of laziness in children that will stay with them even when they become adults. Therefore, in the future, people will not only be unable to indulge in physical activities because of problems like bone and muscle strength or obesity, but they will not have any interest or desire to do so.
The longer one keeps repeating a habit, the more it sticks, and the tougher it is to break, and this is something that will become evident when today’s generation reaches adulthood.
As mentioned above, it’s difficult to say with a hundred per cent certainty how the current realities of today’s life will influence the physical health of future generations. What’s surprising is that despite our improved understanding of topics surrounding issues like physical fitness and diet, the overall health of the public is deteriorating. That’s why the questions we need to be asking now are not if things will get worse in the future, but exactly how terrible will things be?