Aerobics is a form of exercise that combines strength training and stretching along with rhythmic movement. In this post, we tell you about the benefits of aerobics for kids and give you some easy exercises that you could try with your children. The word “aerobic” is derived from the Greek words aero, meaning air, and bios, meaning life. Aerobics helps improve the efficiency of oxygen use and cardiovascular activity of the body. Thus, performing aerobics helps enhance oxygen circulation in the blood and improves heart health. Read on to know about a few types of aerobic exercises that you can try with your children.
Types Of Aerobic Exercises For Kids
Aerobics isn’t just limited to dancing in a professional studio. Any exercise that helps you breathe faster and increase your heart rate can be considered aerobic. In this section, we have listed down the different aerobic activities that your child can indulge in.
1. Running
Soon after they learn to walk, they start running. That’s how much kids enjoy running. So why not begin with this easy and natural aerobic exercise for kids? You can take them to a track or a park and run with them every day. Or you could make them run in your own yard. Wherever they run, make sure it is safe. And make it an everyday habit.
2. Chasing and running
If the kid does not want to run for the sake of exercise, make them play a game that needs them to run. Tag, for instance, is a game that involves chasing and running. You can also try games such as Capture the Flag, Red Rover, Spud, or just have a running competition. If you have a pet dog, taking the dog for a walk in the park offers lots of opportunities for chasing about. Ball games such as football, tennis, rounders, etc., can also be fun while allowing for increased physical activity.
3. Jumping rope
While girls play this the most, boys can try this aerobic exercise too. For this exercise, all you need is a skipping rope, and you are ready to go. You can also play this as a game with three people. Hold either end of the rope in each hand and the rope behind you. Swing the rope above your head, and complete a 360-degree move, and jump before the rope hits your feet. When there are three players, two people hold either end of the rope and swing it, and the third one jumps.
4. Skateboarding and rollerblading
Skateboarding and rollerblading teach you how to balance yourself when moving with speed. They are moderate aerobic exercises that allow you to exert yourself a little when you use force to propel yourself or use the strength of your body to move in different directions. Skateboarding or rollerblading for at least 60 minutes a week will give you adequate exercise to stay healthy (1).
5. Bicycling
Cycling not only keeps you fit but also allows you to get from one place to another without creating a carbon footprint. You also have stationary biking, but kids may not enjoy it as much. Cycling works the lower body muscles and also pumps up your heart rate, especially if you go mountain biking or cycle on hilly terrains. Fun fact: If you cycle for one hour on an electricity-generating bicycle, you can create enough energy to power your home for 24 hours!
6. Aerobic dancing
This is perhaps the most exciting form of aerobics, and fun too, jazzed up with lively music! Step aerobics for kids involves a series of set movements that ensure a complete body workout and leave your kid sweating. There are several aerobic dance videos for kids that you can refer to for this.
7. Sports
Sports such as gymnastics, hockey, football, or soccer, tennis, boxing, and circuit training can also be an excellent way to get your child the needed physical exercise every week. You can encourage them to try water aerobics, which are group aerobic exercises done in shallow waters such as a swimming pool.
8. Speed walking
Walking at a brisk pace is an aerobic exercise. When you pick up a pace and walk fast, your heart beats and pumps blood faster. Fast walking is when you take quick, short steps for exercise. This is not the same as walking at an average pace or strolling.
9. Hiking
Hiking is climbing or walking on an inclined terrain such as a hill. When you hike, you apply pressure on your lower body (legs) to propel yourself forward, which improves your blood pressure and increases your heart rate. The result – by the time you reach the top of the hill or the hiking trail, you would be sweating. You can take your kids on a hiking trip once or twice a week for good exercise.
10. Swimming
Swimming is one of the best aerobic exercises that makes use of the entire body. Also, an important life skill, this activity can help strengthen the child’s muscles and is less risky than other physical activities that could result in bone injury. Besides swimming, you can also try aqua aerobics or water aerobics that are organized by community health centers, clubs, or even a few schools.
11. Cheer-leading
Cheer-leading is a performance and presentation of athletic skills of participants and involves dancing and jumping while chanting a slogan to support a team. If your kid is into this, then encourage them.
12. House and yard work
Nothing beats yard work like mowing the lawn, gardening, raking the leaves, and other household chores that exert you physically. Give the child routine tasks such as washing the driveway, mopping the floors in the house, moving the furniture, etc. But be cautious of muscle injuries while moving stuff. This could be a way to make your kids active as well as teach them to be responsible.
13. Skiing
Skiing is similar to skateboarding and ideal for older kids. Teenagers living in snowy areas can try this sport that requires physical strength and agility to maneuver the body on the skis. Downhill skiing is an aerobic exercise when the skier is trying to propel the body and control movement solely using the strength of his legs and hands.
14. Dancing
Dancing – whether it is ballroom dancing, hip-hop, salsa or freestyle – is fun. When you dance, you move your body to match the rhythm of the aerobics music, which can be energizing. Sometimes, even ballroom dancing, which may seem slow, is aerobic in nature and helps in burning calories and in improving your cardio endurance.
15. Rowing or canoeing
Ideal for teenagers and adults, rowing, and canoeing engage your upper-body strength. The sport increases your heart rate as you move the oars in a quick motion to propel the canoe or boat ahead. You can try rowing an actual boat or canoe in the water, or you could get a rowing machine and exercise in the basement. In addition to these, you can try other aerobic exercises and activities such as karate and ice skating. Another interesting activity is the ‘Suryanamaskar’ or Sun salutation yoga exercise that stretches and works the entire body. Whatever aerobic activity you choose, introduce it to the child slowly and gradually.
Benefits Of Aerobics For Kids
Not all kids are as active as they should be. Your child may be interested in reading, drawing, or playing with toys. But does he or she indulge in strenuous physical, heart-pumping activities such as a sport or dance? If your answer is no and you think your child does not get enough physical exercise, you should consider enrolling him or her in an aerobics class. Continue reading to know more about the benefits of aerobics for kids.
1. Healthy heart and lungs
When you do aerobic exercises, more oxygen is required by the working muscles. As a result, your rate of breathing increases, which allows the blood passing through the lungs to take up oxygen at a faster rate. The heart rate also increases to pump more of this oxygen-rich blood to the working muscles. With regular exercise, cardiovascular fitness increases and this means that the heart muscle and lungs become stronger. People with high cardiovascular fitness have been shown to have greatly reduced risk for heart disease and diabetes and this is why regular exercise is recommended in countries around the world.
2. Keeps weight in check
Weight gain occurs when you are consuming more energy (calories) from food than you are using up every day in normal body functions, digestion of food and physical activity and this is stored as fat in the body. Physical exertion burns more calories than mild exercises such as walking, so doing higher intensity exercise will increase the amount of energy burned up every day. Moderate to higher intensity exercise also teaches your body to burn fat. Regular aerobic exercise along with a healthy diet prevents the child from gaining excess weight and becoming obese.
3. Strengthens muscles
According to a study, previously unfit people had increased skeletal muscle protein production after four weeks of aerobics (2). This means that in addition to burning fat, physical exercise, and particularly strength type exercise, can help to build strong muscles. As mentioned above, aerobic exercise also helps strengthen the heart muscle, which is one of the most important muscles in the body.
4. Strong bones
One of the ways to strengthen your bones is to do weight-bearing exercises such as dancing or aerobics. When you encourage your child to do aerobics, you might be helping them to build stronger bones.
5. Detoxification of the body
Your body gets rid of the toxins through sweat, tears, and urine. Aerobics results in sweating, and so might help the body flush out the toxins, which could boost energy, cleanse the liver, and improve skin health.
6. Build immunity
Moderate aerobic exercises with proper rest could make your children stronger, although it is not known how. Some theories suggest that physical activity such as aerobics flushes out the bacteria through the airways. It is also believed that exercises change the concentration of white blood cells and disease-fighting antibodies (3), which play a major role in the kid’s immunity levels.
7. Fight depression
A collection of research done on humans states that a single exercise helps decrease negative mood state and increase positive mood state while reducing the psychological and physiological response to acute stress (4).
8. Improve social skills
Aerobics is a group activity performed indoors or outdoors. When your children go for aerobics classes, they meet a lot of children, which can help them work on her socializing skills as well, especially if they are shy or apprehensive of socializing.
9. Better academic performance
A fit body can help you develop a fit mind. Studies have shown that regular aerobics can help children focus better and make them less impulsive. It also boosts the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is critical for brain cell growth (5).
10. Aerobics is fun!
Regular exercises such as walking or working out in a gym can seem tiresome even for adults. When you want your kids to workout, you need to think of something interesting such as aerobics. Besides aerobic exercises, a class of aerobics dancing every day can be an excellent idea. It is important to inculcate the habit of exercising early on in kids and you can start with fun aerobics for children six years old and above.
Word of caution: Some children may have congenital heart diseases, lung ailments, hypertension and metabolic abnormalities. So, a doctor’s opinion should be sought before enrolling a child for aerobics to ensure that the exercise is safe for them.
