The Problem of Lack of Exercise for Children Essay example -- Children

The Problem of Lack of Exercise for Children 10 years ago, many Parents didn't have to work at getting young children to be active. Most children were constantly in continual motion. But these days even young children are inactive and more dependent upon adults to provide them with different forms of exercise such as sport. Lack of exercise is a major reason for the growing rate of obesity among children. One cause of this is the new modern day technologies which have boomed in this generation and therefore have created ‘couch potato’ children. Examples of these ‘distractions’ are computer games and television. Watching TV for even as few as two to five hours per week is linked to being overweight and as a result of this, the percentage of overweight children had doubled in the last 30 years. Dr Aric Sigman, of the British Psychological Society explains that most of the unpleasant health affects recognized that are linked with TV viewing are related to duration of viewing. He quotes that â€Å"There's nothing to be lost by watching less TV but a great deal to be lost by continuing to watch as we do†. Another Cause of obesity is unhealthy junk food. The varieties of foods have also changed in the last 10 years. Nowadays, children are excessively eating more fatty foods such as chocolate or chips which therefore increase the figures of obesity in children every year. 2o percent of British children are overweight and 10 percent are obese. Benefits of exercise: Exercise can help strengthen children's bones now as well as later in life. Children who partake in weight-bearing, impact sports such as running, gymnastics a... ...PA's (The British United Provident Association is a global health and care organisation) assistant medical director Dr. Paula Franklin says: "With the growing problems of childhood and adult obesity in Britain it is vital that we inspire young people to exercise regularly and eat healthily. Research also suggests that regular exercise affects overall well-being and can even have a positive impact on academic grades." In conclusion, yes it is a problem that our children aren’t enough exercise due to all the health problems they could face in the future. Daily exercise has many positive factors which is why adults should encourage physical activities such as sport as much as possible, especially because of all the modern day unhealthy distractions that children face.