

Having a daily diet that is full of nutritious foods can provide a child with more energy during school and after-school activities. There are several factors that can impact a child’s cardio endurance:Ī well-balanced diet can improve a child’s endurance. Therefore, flexibility training should be incorporated into any childhood fitness program.

Children often lack flexibility, which is an integral part of fitness and a preventative factor when it comes to injury.Core muscles serve to stabilize the entire body and a lack of core strength can compromise fitness in children by making children susceptible to injury. Children’s core muscles those muscles in the hips, back and abdomen area are not fully developed and are therefore weaker than the core muscles of adults.This makes them more vulnerable to injury, and any plan to improve child fitness should account for childhood growth patterns. Because children grow in spurts, they are always in the process of acclimation and may lack coordination.Keep in mind that every child is different – some stronger in one area more so than another. It’s also important to understand the anatomical and physiological differences between children and adults. Muscular endurance is the amount of time the muscles can withstand pushing, pulling or supporting weight.īody composition is the amount (or percentage) of fat versus non-fat (bone, skin, muscle, etc.) in the body. However, strength training also strengthens the bones.Ĭardiovascular endurance is the heart’s ability to withstand extended periods of activity. Strength refers to the amount of weight the muscles can push, pull or support. The goal of flexibility training is to have maximum range of motion without pain or stiffness. It is multifaceted – encompassing a number of aspects that have impact on health and well-being.įlexibility pertains to the body’s range of motion. It is important to become familiar with the components of childhood fitness. The cardiovascular trend for the world’s children (and especially America’s) is reason for concern, but these trends can be changed even for children who are part of this “degenerating generation.” They cardiovascular habits of children can be improved (with the addition to cardiovascular activities to their daily routines and lifestyle changes) so that cardio endurance can be improved. “The most important type of fitness for good health is cardiovascular fitness, which is the ability to exercise vigorously for a long time, like running multiple laps around an oval track.”

Not all of these types of “strength” relate well to “health,” according to contribute to Grant Tomkinson, Ph.D., lead author of the study founding the American Heart Association’s research.

There are different ways that young people can be fit. Some other eye-opening statistics from the research show that kids today are “roughly 15 percent less fit from a cardiovascular standpoint than their parents were as youngsters” and they run a mile run a minute and a half slower than children from 30 years ago. We just happen to lead the pack with 6 percent. In fact, the cardiovascular health of children in nations around the world has declined by 5 percent each decade. Did you that the American Heart Association has research that the cardiovascular endurance of America’s children fell an average of 6 percent per decade between 19.
