13
Benefits of Physical Activity for Children
1. It strengthens the heart. The heart is a muscle. Like other muscles, its performance improves
when it's regularly challenged by exercise. The heart responds to exercise by becoming stronger
and more efficient. Strengthening the heart muscle can help ward off heart disease -- the leading
cause of death in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services -- even in early childhood.
2. It helps keep arteries and veins clear. Exercise reduces the amount of harmful cholesterol and
fats in a person's blood. It increases the flexibility of the walls of blood vessels, and helps to lower
blood pressure. This can reduce a person's risk for heart attack and stroke.
3. It strengthens the lungs. Working hard increases lung capacity, and their efficiency in moving air
in and out of the body. As a result, more oxygen is drawn into the body and more carbon dioxide
and other waste gases are expelled. Regular exercise helps prevent the decline in oxygen intake
that occurs naturally with age or as a result of inactivity.
4. It reduces blood sugar levels. Exercise prevents sugar from accumulating in the blood by
triggering muscles to take up more glucose from the bloodstream and use it for energy. This can
reduce a person's risk of developing diabetes.
5. It controls weight. When a person is sedentary, he tends to be taking in more calories than are
needed. These unused calories accumulate as fat. A person who is physically active may have a
deficit of calories, which takes fat away and lowers weight. Lowered weight is good for the heart
and can be beneficial in people with diabetes.
6. It strengthens bones. Just as muscles grow stronger when physically stressed, bones also
respond by getting stronger. Exercise increases bone density, which helps prevent osteoporosis, a
condition in which bones lose density, weaken, and become porous and fragile.
7. It helps prevent cancer. People who exercise regularly have lower incidences of cancer. The
cancers most affected include colon, prostate, uterine, and breast cancers.
8. It regulates blood pressure. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress levels. As the levels of
stress in a person's body subsides, his blood pressure and his risk for heart disease decline.
9. It improves energy levels. Regular exercise often makes people feel more energetic, allows
them to be more active, and reduces the likelihood that they'll tire during the day.
10. It enhances emotional well-being. Most people report that they feel calm and have a sense of
well-being after they exercise. Exercise, according to one theory, releases beta-endorphin, a
natural substance in the body that is hundreds of times more potent than morphine. Another
theory points to serotonin as the cause of the exercise high. Increased levels of serotonin in the
central nervous system are associated with feelings of well-being, heightening of appetite, and
lessening of mental depression. The weight loss that accompanies exercise can also cause
people to feel better about themselves.
