Being active as a preschooler

Study: Being active as a preschooler pays off later in childhood

Being active at age 5 helps kids stay lean as they age even if they don’t remain as active later in childhood, a new University of Iowa study shows.

The study also indicated that boys are more likely to experience the sustained benefit from being active as preschoolers, possibly because they are more active at age 5 than girls, highlighting a need to especially encourage young girls to exercise.

“The CDC recommends that kids get at least 60 minutes of age-appropriate physical activity every day, and an activity like coloring madly won’t cut it,”

Go Out and Play

“Athletic participation is clearly part of the solution to national public health concerns about overweight children. Sports help children develop not only healthy bodies, but also healthy body images, the latter a basic indicator of mental health. The synergies between sports participation and physical and mental health, moreover, are present among children as early as the middle school years.”

It’s hardly news anymore that Americans are just too fat.

Academic performance can actually improve with more activity. There may be other benefits as well. Ludwig observes that during years in which phys ed has declined, the nation has seen big increases in attention-deficit disorder and childhood depression. “It shouldn’t be so surprising that low physical-activity levels would have adverse effects on a child’s emotional health,” he says. “Exercise benefits overall well-being, not just body weight.”