Children Need Exercise

I have to include this article, because I commend anyone who tries to incorporate daily exercise into their children’s lives. Anyone will tell you that exercise is an excellent way to start the day. Claire Parker, who is a mother of two young boys as well as a former athlete, implements the 10-6-7 method: ten minutes - six times a day – seven days a week.

As a mother of two young boys myself, I was intrigued to see how she fared in her experiment. It seems that the boys were just as eager to participate – they opted to ride to school in the rain – rather than complain like most parents think would. Boys are often labeled as rambunctious and show a need to let off some serious steam, but wouldn’t exercise constitute as a serious form of recess?

What really struck me was that Claire mentioned that she noticed a difference in the boys’ behavior; they seemed more relaxed, even calm at times. She does note that some time in front of the “telly” is necessary for both herself as well as her children. Did I forget to mention that this all takes place in England?

The reason that I’m passionate about this cause is because people are so afraid that they are pushing their children into physical activity that they lose sight of all the benefits associated with daily exercise. Children have so much energy – believe me – I require an afternoon latte just to keep up! But seriously, if we structure activities for our children that are fun, or involve them in sporting events that will help them to let off some steam, then we are actually helping them to release some of the energy that they carry around all day.