A study recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine clearly demonstrates that our nation’s struggle with obesity starts from the youngest years—long before high school graduation, the first signs of puberty or even the start of kindergarten. According to the study, a child who is overweight at the age of five is very…
A cross-sector cadre of national and regional stakeholders that share the goal of reversing childhood obesity recently converged in New Jersey, the home state of the philanthropic behemoth Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). RWJF has invested $500 million to reverse childhood obesity by 2015, with special emphasis on low-income minority children, where the rates are…
Just like the ABCs of a language, there are the ABCs of physical activity. Â The fundamental movement skills that make up the ABCs of physical activity can be broken down into three categories: 1. Locomotor skills: Running, jumping, hopping and skipping 2. Object-control skills: Catching, throwing, kicking and bouncing 3. Stability skills: Balancing, twisting, rotation…
Eight-year-old Marcus lives in the city. Surrounded by busy streets and unpredictable strangers, “outside” has become an unsafe place to play. Not having the athletic predisposition to compete and enjoy sports, Marcus has gravitated away from youth sports leagues, and his grade school has been forced to cut their physical education program due to lack…
Physically confident and competent children are active for life, but far too many of America’s youth are physically inactive. Health and fitness professionals are in a great position to help kids become more physically active and, as a result, more physically literate. To begin, consider how academic literacy is developed. Through the process of neural…
According to the CDC, 17.7% of children age 6 to 11 are considered obese. This means that fitness professionals have a very important role in the fitness of future generations. By focusing on youth fitness, the fitness professional can help proactively reduce the obesity epidemic in our country and help the youth of America love…
Fitness Games for Kids When working with kids, it’s important to engage them with fun and challenging fitness activities. These fitness games for kids, developed by ACE CERTIFIED Personal Trainer Anna Renderer, can help them learn how to improve their functional movement patterns, cardiovascular efficiency and balance, all while having a good time. Arm and…
Spark children’s imaginations while introducing them to the physical practice of yoga along with a few basic breathing techniques. These 6 animal-inspired poses encourage children to get creative by imitating some of their favorite animals, while also empowering them to explore physical activity and the mind-body connection in a fun new way. Lion Begin in…
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the percentage of elementary schools in the U.S. that have daily physical education is 3.6 percent. This represents a direct reflection of America’s attitude toward an educational institution’s role in physical development—school is for the brain; not for the body. Though health problems brought on by inactivity…
Health and fitness technologies, such as apps, activity trackers and websites, are a growing presence in our everyday lives. When used properly, these technologies can be powerful tools for helping people develop better health habits. But do they offer the same benefits for children? Although there will always be some debate surrounding kids and technology,…