Why children need to khelo More?

It is a known fact that playing sports is great for children. However, it is also very important to know how playing sports is beneficial to them. Outdoor exercises such as football, basketball, gymnastics and martial arts are a few forms of sports that are great for children. It not only keeps them busy and active but also teaches them important aspects of how being healthy is essential to life and in turn relationships. Playing competitive sports doesn’t always mean that every child will win and be excellent at every sport they play, but just being in that situation helps them to build their character.

According to most adults, exercising means running on the treadmill or lifting weights in the gym. However, with children, exercising means being physically active, no matter what activity they undertake, which can range from a light aerobic exercise to an intense game of football or cricket. Active children have a higher tendency to build and develop stronger muscle and bones. These kind of children are less likely to be overweight as they grow older. Exercising not only helps in being strong physically, but also mentally. Physically active children sleep better and are equipped to handle physical as well as emotional challenges better.

Parents should also encourage their children as they take on a variety of activities. These activities include focusing on 3 important elements i.e. Endurance, Strength and Flexibility. Activities like running, push-ups and stretching play a very important role in a child’s overall development. Kids nowadays lead an extremely sedentary life. Television, video games, play-stations and computers have consumed them to such an extent that most of them become sluggish, lazy and sometimes even obese. It is here that the parents should step in and make sure that their kids have some kind of physical activity as a part of their daily routine. Ideally, a child should be physically active for at least 60 minutes in a day. It works best if the parents also involve themselves in the activity with their children as it motivates them to a great extent. Also, kids absolutely love to play with their parents.

Most parents feel that children training in gyms can be better performers. However, that’s not true. Outdoor activities work better for a child’s development as it helps them to meet new people, with different kinds of temperament, helps them defend themselves against unforeseen situations and also develop leadership qualities along with sportsmanship. It helps develop their personality and also gain confidence.

One of the most important points to note here is that parents sometimes tend to force their children into certain sports. It is very important for a child to play a sport of his/her choice, a sport that they love eg. Football, cricket, swimming etc.

To summarise – Why should children play sports:

• Great physical activity
• Develop social skills
• Boost their self esteem
• Academic success
• Being healthy

Kinds of exercises and focus areas:

• Aerobic activities
• Muscle strengthening
• Bone strengthening

Written by Vijay Alva

Vijay Alva is the founder of Vijay Alva’s Fitness Academy (VAFA) and has successfully trained and is still training aspirants who wish to run the Mumbai Marathon every year. He has been running the academy successfully for the last 10 years and is currently training more than 100 students. Along with the training his students for the Mumbai Marathon, Vijay Alva has also been conducting Kick Boxing and self defence classes for over 12 years.

Being a fitness enthusiast himself since a very young age, Vijay Alva has always maintained a healthy lifestyle of eating right and exercising every day. He has applied the same mantra for the students of his academy, as he focuses on not only helping them to lose weight but also become fitter and healthier. A typical day of exercise includes Cross-functional training with an average calorie burn of 450 kcal per class with a focus on an all muscle workout, core strengthening, agility and muscle endurance apart from burning fat.

The vision of the academy is to get more and more people to maintain a healthy style of living and treat their workouts as a part of their lives and not something that they have to do just to lose weight, along with a wholesome balanced diet without starving oneself.

Adapting this style of living will help improving an individuals personality and make them more confident, healthier and happier.