How to Improve Children's Physical Fitness?

How to Improve children's Physical Fitness?

Children with strong physical fitness are well-equipped to handle the impacts and loads that their bodies encounter in daily life, avoiding excessive fatigue. It is essential for meeting the demands of life and various activities. In July 2002, the Ministry of Education and the General Administration of Sport jointly issued the "Student Physical Health Standards (Trial Program)." The health and physical fitness of children and adolescents are crucial for the future of our country and are necessary for our talent cultivation and sustainable development strategies. During the implementation of the "Student Physical Health Standards," targeted physical exercises played a very positive role in guiding students to understand and assess their own health conditions. The results of the 2005 National Survey on Student Physical Health and Health showed that the morphological development of students continued to improve, nutritional status continued to improve, but lung capacity continued to decline, and speed, explosive power, and endurance levels further decreased. The obesity detection rate continued to rise, and the rate of poor vision remained high.

To improve children's physical fitness, it is necessary to start with strengthening bone development from an early age. The Capital Institute of Pediatrics once measured the whole-body bone mineral content and bone density of 1100 students. Among the tested students, more than 50% had insufficient bone mineral content, and 2.5% had extremely low bone mineral content. Adolescent physical exercises should include three basic components: cardiovascular endurance exercises, resistance exercises, and bone-strengthening exercises. It is recommended to engage in bone-strengthening exercises at least three times a week to promote bone health. More frequent and intense exercises with longer durations will lead to better bone-strengthening effects.

When training children's physical fitness, the following points should be noted:

• Step 1: Regular daily activities in the family should be carried out as usual. Public health institutions generally recommend that children engage in 60 minutes of physical activity every day, especially aerobic exercises such as cycling and skating, as well as activities that enhance bone and muscle strength, such as gymnastics and skipping rope. Mark the duration of these daily activities on the calendar, and on weekends, the whole family should go out for activities before returning home to watch TV or play computer or online games. Active activities are particularly important for overweight children and those with physical development imbalances, helping them develop a strong awareness of the benefits of physical exercise for health.

• Step 2: Be willing to spend money on purchasing some basic sports equipment, and place them prominently in the home. In the process of learning to use new sports equipment, make efforts to learn the correct exercise methods. To ensure that children do not forget to exercise, a simple method is to place soccer balls, basketballs, sports shoes, etc., behind the door, and remind children to wear sports shoes when going out. If a child is interested in doing their own thing and not interested in certain sports, parents should help them gradually learn and master the basic sports skills. If necessary, seek guidance and demonstrations of basic sports techniques from physical education teachers.

• Step 3: If there are open day events or sports competitions organized by the local community sports activity centers, take your child to participate. There are many activity venues and facilities there, so encourage your child to join in activities, including football, gymnastics, rock climbing, and yoga. After participating in open day events, let your child choose a sport as a regular exercise skill training.

• Step 4: Encourage your child to walk to school actively. If the residence is close to the school, do not let the child take a bus to school but walk. However, remind the child to be aware of safety while walking.

• Establish parent-teacher associations in schools to promote children's active play during their school years. In some public schools with insufficient funds and lacking necessary sports facilities and equipment, you can go to fitness centers or gymnasiums for exercises.