Being healthy means a lot more than just eating well and maintaining a schedule. Being healthy is a state when a person’s mental and physical conditions remain at par.
And as important as mental health is for a person to stay fit, so is the need for physical wellness to be a healthy being.
Owing to the dynamic world that we are living in, with the rapid changes in working scenarios, and also depletion of the quality of air index because of increasing pollutants, staying physically fit is an absolute necessity.
And not just for adults, physical fitness is equally important across all age groups, especially children. Physical fitness for students is essential to keep their minds refreshed, and allows them to balance the pressure of studies.
Let us understand the necessity of physical exercise for students from the very start.
What is Physical Activity?
Any kind of activity which requires you to work physically, flex your muscles and produce sweat is called physical activity.
It can be anything like running, cycling, swimming, skipping, working out, dancing, etc. Also, there is a varied range of sports that come under this category, like cricket, football, basketball, gymnastics, tennis, etc., and many more.
What physical activities do is they keep all the muscles working, help keep nerves sharp, improve reflexes, help to think positively, and most importantly help to achieve all of these things in a fun way.
And needless to say, there are an infinite number of health concerns that can be prevented through the application of physical exercise on a regular basis.
Physical Education For Students
For a student to get into the zone of physical fitness, it is required to first make them aware of the whole concept and the idea behind it.
The positive benefits which come along with physical fitness are indeed commendable. Therefore, students are to be educated about physical fitness for their interest to grow in it.
11 Ways To Promote Physical Fitness In Children
Before indulging in detail about the 11 different ways, let us first have a brief understanding of the benefits of physical activities.
The benefits of physical activity for children are manifold. First, it helps strengthen the muscles and bones; second, it requires hard and fast breathing and is therefore good for the lungs; it helps maintain a steady blood flow all over the body and also helps control heartbeat, and is, therefore, good for the heart as well.
Moreover, physical activities help prevent diseases like diabetes, hypertension, blood pressure, etc., and a plethora of other ones as well. It also keeps the much-dreaded childhood obesity at bay
That being said, now let us have a look at the 11 ways in which physical fitness can be promoted in children.
1. Motivating Kids to Participate in Household Chores
Keeping the statement in mind “Charity begins at home”, it is best to instill good habits in a child beginning at home!
Therefore, the first and foremost thing to do is to motivate children to take part in any household chores. It can be anything like helping in washing the car, taking the pet for a stroll on the lawn, etc. It is through these chores, that the habits of physical activities will be built in them.
2. Doing It Together
Sometimes, the best way to motivate children is to take part in the activity with them. And it works wonders in inspiring a child to take up and stay in touch with physical activities.
So, it is a must for parents to participate in the activities with their children to keep them motivated and make them feel the need to exercise in a fun way.
And also, it will be fun to realize the benefits of physical activity together with family!
3. Setting A Time Slot
The next big thing on this list is to churn out an hour of time every day from busy schedules for physical activities.
Now, this is where it gets challenging for most people. But, it is what it is, setting a fixed period as ‘play time’ does not only encourage a child but also relaxes and refreshes them from their homework and academic burdens.
4. Selecting The Correct Sport
No other physical activities are as fun and constructive as sports. Therefore, it is a very tough decision to pick out the exact sport which suits a child.
While many sports require a little bit of maturity, swimming, cricket, football, and athletics are evergreen ones that would help a child stay fit.
And perhaps that is why physical extracurricular activities are very much given importance in most curricula across all schools.
5. Setting Up An Example
This is again one of the important and very traditional but unique ways to promote physical activities in children. And that is by setting an example.
A child learns what he/she sees their parents do in front of them. They learn from what they see their parents follow.
And perhaps that is one of the best ways to instill a good habit in them. Children seeing their parents focusing on physical fitness, would by nature be inclined towards fitness.
This can surely be the most natural way of making children realize the benefits of exercise.
6. Making It Fun
Often it has been seen that even after motivation children tend to avoid physical activities.
And that is perhaps because it has been made or fixed like a routine in front of them. That is something that can produce contrary results.
So, it is always better to make things fun, so that they can enjoy them to the fullest through their active participation.
In fact, this is the exact way physical education in schools is being induced in the curriculum nowadays.
7. Limiting Screen Timings
The biggest challenge that perhaps the current world faces is the total amount of screen time their children have.
And owing to the severe spread of the pandemic and the lengthy lockdown, most children now enjoy sitting and watching videos or playing online games.
But that is the only thing that restrains them from getting outside and playing. And the only solution to do it is to limit the screen timings. Set a strict schedule for computer games, or phone surfing. In this way, their engagement in physical activities increases manifold.
8. Gifting Sports Gears For Encouragement
Sometimes, the best way to inspire children is to give them something interesting! And sports gears are wise choices as gifts.
Children are attracted to new and interesting equipment. So, gifting them with new jerseys with their names printed, or getting them some gear for sports they like, really helps them get motivated and make physical activities an integral part of their lives.
9. Making Exercises Part of The Daily Schedule
This time, it is not just about keeping some time out to work for fitness. It is about applying exercises to daily schedules.
For example, cycling the way to school, or walking to nearby shops for essentials helps achieve fitness in a much simple and easier way.
Therefore, these might also come under the category of physical fitness exercises.
10. Instilling a Sense of Competition
One of the many best ways of getting a child into exercising is by challenging them to do so. And when it comes to challenges, children love to participate!
Take a challenge to run a stretch, do squats, etc. This arouses a sense of competitiveness in them. Also, make sure to congratulate and reward them after they win to keep their spree alive!
11. Ensuring Secured Surrounding
This is a thing that all parents must be concentrating on. Providing children with a safe and secure surrounding to play in is the most important of all things.
It must be made sure that they are having proper gears on, wearing comfortable and breathable attires, and obviously, in a wide-open but enclosed vicinity where vehicles would not be moving around.
Conclusion
So, these are the many different ways in which one can promote physical fitness in their child, and along with that, make them realize the benefits of doing physical activities.
Also, by participating in various activities, and getting an idea about physical education, students learn about the various types of physical fitness and this helps them explore and find a sport or activity of their choice.
Therefore, physical activities are surely needed for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and also a healthy body.
Not just that, physical fitness happens to be one of the factors that work hand-in-hand with mental stability to keep a student or a child steady and at par, and be a healthy being.
