Even children who have not got fat have become less fit over the past decade, according to research published today.
Obesity is not the only enemy of children's health, according to sports and exercise specialists writing in the medical journal, Archives of Disease in Childhood. They say that even those children who are not overeating are frighteningly inactive and may pay the price in terms of their future health.
This is a global phenomenon – children's cardiorespiratory (heart and lung) fitness is declining by 4.3% a decade across the world. But the authors from Essex University's department of biological science – http://press.psprings.co.uk/adc/november/ac162107.pdf – found that in England it was worsening at more than that rate, 7% in boys and 9% in girls.
They studied 10-year-olds from six schools in relatively affluent Chelmsford, Essex, where obesity is thought to be less of an issue, between 1998 and 2008.
At the beginning and end of that decade, a group of just over 300 children, matched for size and weight and wearing similar sportswear, was put through a 20-metre shuttle-run fitness test (also known as the bleep test), requiring the children to run shuttles again and again until they could no longer do it before the “bleep” sounded.
Over the decade, there was no change in the body mass index (BMI), a measure of obesity, of the girls and a small increase among the boys. But both boys and girls in 2008 were markedly less fit than their predecessors in 1998.
Gavin Sandercock, one of the authors, said he believed there were two reasons for declining fitness – lack of physical activity and increasingly sedentary behaviour.
“The government was recently singing the praises of our digital economy and how many computers we have in our homes.
“It just means we don't have to walk any more,” he said.
“You can have everything streamed wirelessly into your bedroom and you don't have to open the window to find out what the weather is like – you can ask Google. It is stealing time from active pursuits.”
It has been known for some years that children who have a television in their bedrooms are less fit than their peers. “It is an independent risk factor for lower physical activity,” said Sandercock.
Screen time, by which he means all types, from television to Facebook, to social networking and handheld computer gaming, should be limited to no more than two hours a day, he said.
“Any more than that is a big step downward in children's fitness,” he said.
Children have no real sense of how long they are spending on computers or watching television, he said.
“We ask how many hours of TV they watch, and they say about half an hour.
“We ask how many programmes they watch, and they say three or four, all of which last half an hour,” he said.
If a 12- or 13 year-old girl is watching Hollyoaks, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! and a couple of episodes of Friends in an evening, she is probably watching too much, he said.
The British Heart Foundation called for parents to intervene.
“Research shows that fitness and fatness are both important for health in children and adults, and we should try to keep ourselves, and our children, physically fit as well as maintaining a healthy weight,” said Cathy Ross, a cardiac nurse.
“Current guidelines in England recommend children should be active for at least 60 minutes each day.
“So encourage the kids to turn off the TV and their computers, and go outside and get active in the snow this Christmas.”
SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ — The Interactive Health Partner (www.InteractiveHealthPartner.com), developed by PCE Health & Fitness, recently expanded exercise logging and fitness tracking capabilities by integrating with Garmin running and fitness devices. Now users can quickly upload workout data from Garmin Forerunner devices into their personal online health and fitness account. It's as easy as plugging in their Garmin fitness device and clicking a button to upload results to their exercise log! When viewing their fitness tracker users instantly see the exercise results saved by their Garmin activity monitor, including distance, time, calories and heart rate.
Bringing this exciting new feature to organizations that use the IHP to manage their members' health and fitness and to individual users in the LifeSpan Fitness Club makes it easy to track all physical activity in one central online location. Users can upload workout data automatically saved by any IHP certified device including Garmin activity monitors and LifeSpan fitness equipment and health monitors, as well as directly enter exercise results from other fitness activities such as cycling, swimming or group exercise classes. Comprehensive yet easy to use, the IHP online health and fitness management program makes it simple to track exercise and analyze the effectiveness of fitness efforts over time.
Connecting online fitness tracking with users' preferred activity monitors and exercise equipment is core to the IHP strategy. Peter Schenk, President of PCE Health & Fitness, believes “Technology will change how Americans think about exercise, by raising awareness of daily physical activity levels and changing how they manage health and fitness. We are dedicated to being a leader in this behavioral shift, using the power and reach of the internet.”
The IHP continues to join forces with the best exercise equipment, activity and health monitors, and exercise programming to improve the health and fitness of its members. Integrating with popular devices such as Garmin is the latest example of utilizing technology to provide easier, faster ways to upload data from a variety of health and fitness devices.
No matter what the goal, from losing 10 pounds to lowering cholesterol or blood pressure, the IHP is a simple and affordable online solution that engages users in their health and fitness so they can be successful in achieving their personal health and fitness goals.
More information: www.InteractiveHealthPartner.com .
*(IMAGE 72dpi: www.Send2Press.com/mediaboom/09-1221-IHPgarmin_72dpi.jpg)
*(Image Caption: Online Fitness Tracker Integrates with Garmin Fitness Monitors.)
This release was issued on behalf of the above organization by Send2Press(R), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com
SOURCE PCE Health and Fitness
What if you could increase overall cardiovascular fitness while you tone and strengthen your whole body in just ten minutes per day, three times per week?
Think it can't be done? According to the National Institute of Health jumping rope can burn up to 720 calories per hour at a rate of 120 – 140 turns per minute – that's equal to running an eight minute mile. In fact ten minutes of jumping rope is a more effective training tool than jogging for thirty minutes!
According to athletes and fitness experts jumping rope is the most efficient way to increase cardiovascular fitness in as little as ten minutes per day three times per week! And if done properly, jumping rope is considered lower impact than jogging or running.
This aerobic activity not only improves cardiovascular fitness, it can increase stamina and endurance, increase overall physical conditioning, and tone and strengthen all major muscle groups. In addition, jumping rope can increase things like flexibility, agility, balance, coordination, timing and speed. It can tone and strengthen muscles, strengthen bones, decrease tension and increase overall energy. It can even decrease the appearance of cellulite!
Getting Started
As with any form of exercise, you should always consult with your primary physician to make sure you are healthy enough for vigorous exercise.
Always warm up and stretch major muscles before attempting jumping rope to avoid injuries.
Make sure equipment is adequate. To make sure rope is long enough, place one foot on the center of the rope and pull taunt. Jump rope should reach at least mid chest level. Appropriate shoes are also a necessity. The best footwear is geared toward aerobics or cross training with a reinforced toe.
The surface is also important. You should avoid carpets and grassy areas, as these can cause a drag, which may increase the chances of injury. Concrete and asphalt should also be avoided, as these surfaces are too hard. The best surface is wood, such as a piece of plywood or an impact mat.
Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Knees should be slightly bent and elbows should be tucked in. Keep back straight and keep gaze straight ahead – not at your feet.
As you begin to spin the rope, you should only jump high enough to allow the rope to pass under your feet. (Jumping high only increases the chance of injury.) Stay on the balls of your feet as you land to provide greater absorption of shock and the dissipation of energy evenly over entire foot.
And never sacrifice form for speed! It is best to start slowly to perfect form and rhythm to enhance overall effectiveness.
Beginners who may not have the endurance to jump rope for an extended period of time can start by jumping for one minute then marching for one minute for a full ten minute cycle. Gradually increase jumping time until you can jump for the full ten minutes.
Jumping rope, while an excellent form of conditioning, has not been widely accepted due to its degree of difficulty and its boring repetitive nature. Even so, jumping rope or “rope skipping” is practiced on a competitive level world-wide!
Adding rope jumping to exercise routines can enhance overall fitness and endurance. Once perfecting basic rope jumping, to combat boredom try to vary foot patterns or jump backwards. Even attempting two rope revolutions to one jump can combat the repetition. If monotony is still a problem, there are a number of workout tapes available to learn freestyle moves and tricks. Even jumping to upbeat music can liven up routines.
So in exchange for thirty minutes per week, incorporating rope jumping into your current fitness routine can maximize overall wellness and strength. Plus the costs of this effective workout are minimal – only the cost of a good rope and adequate footwear!
Learning and incorporating jumping rope can add a little variety, the key to any successful workout routine!
