By Amanda Grossman-Scott
I wasn’t the most active child. Given the choice between sitting on the sofa and riding my bike, I was more apt to settle in for a nice couch-potato session. I liked organized sports but rarely exercised alone, intentionally. When my 12-year-old son recently declared, “I just don’t like exercising.” I’ll admit I cringed and didn’t react in the most positive way. But then I remembered it took me awhile to begin to actually like exercise as well. The key was finding a few activities I enjoyed. Only then did I get that amazing rush of accomplishment, feeling good about myself, and overall sense of well-being – all the things endorphins do for us. It was then that I began to enjoy exercise a whole lot more.
The mind-body connection is something that is often over looked in a child’s over-all well-being. We are conditioned to see physical activity as a means to an end: a way to burn calories or maintain weight, a way to control health issues like diabetes, or as a preventative measure to ward off aging and disease.
But the benefits of being physically activity go far beyond just the physical body.
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Other reasons for raising a physically strong child include
- Physical activity can also provide an opportunity for great family bonding while doing something good for ourselves.
- Teaching children to play and have adventure in their lives is vital to strengthening ideas about trying new things, letting go of stress, and making time for self.
- Healthy Body Image. Physical health isn’t just about exercise. A strong child will feel good about the way his or her body functions and know that eating nutritious foods not only keeps them healthy but helps them to know that they’re doing something great for their body. These things will help to grow and mold a child’s healthy body image.
- Coping Skills. Physical activity itself can be a great coping skill for kids, giving them something to turn to in times of anger and stress; helping to calm them enough to deal with problems. As well, research suggests that physical activity among youth can strengthen resistance to addiction. (Volkow, 2011)
Physical wellness is an extremely important component to raising a strong child. The more active a child is, the better he or she will feel about their body as it grows and changes.
I want my son to be strong in every way; so I will continue to encourage him to try new things and activities until he finds what he enjoys and feels the difference doing good things for his body can make. Spending time together and finding what he likes may be just what he needs to get him motivated. He’ll also be more equipped to deal with emotional and social issues as he encounters them, and he’ll be setting a pattern of being physically active, which will carry him into adulthood.
See our new book to find ideas for teaching this concept and learn ways and activities to help your child be stronger!
Other articles related to the new book:
Help Your Child Strengthen Their Intellectual Muscles
Developing Strong Social Skills is Key to a Child’s Development
Strengthening Our Kids Through Awareness and Attention
Emotional Intelligence is Critical to Creating Strong Kids
Introducing 30 Days to a Stronger Child
Available in Kindle or Paperback.Amanda Grossman-Scott is Board Vice president and Head Writer for Educate and Empower Kids. She has written for various magazines, newspapers and blogs and has been active in the journalism industry intermittently for the last 15 years. She studied Journalism and Communications. Amanda is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and now lives with her husband and four children in San Antonio, Texas.
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Citations:
Volkow, M.D., N. (2011, March 1). Physical Activity May Prevent Substance Abuse. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
Mayo Clinic. (2014, February 5). Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
