Did you know that the human body is comprised of more than 600 muscles?

As the old saying goes, “use it or lose it;” these muscles need to consistently be active to keep them healthy and strong. Through encouraging your kids to practice living a physically-active life, the odds of them staying active as adults increase, and it can even improve sports performance and reduce the risk of sports-related injuries.

When figuring out what activities your kids should do, consider keeping these three elements in mind: endurance, strength and flexibility. Keep on reading to learn about activities that have one or more of these elements!

Endurance

Endurance improves with aerobic activity. This type of exercise gets the heart rate up and oxygen flowing to the muscles. Some endurance exercises include running, walking, hiking, and playing in team sports – like soccer!

Strength

Strength is gained by lifting and applying force. Typically, it can be gained through weight lifting, but children can do pushups, sit-ups, or climb the jungle gym.

Flexibility

Not only will your kids have a greater range of motion because of flexibility training, but they will also have a reduced chance of  getting an injury. Try searching for some stretching techniques online that your kids feel comfortable doing!

Being active as a family is a team effort between children and parents. It does take organization to get going and effort to maintain, but leading a healthy lifestyle for kids will benefit them in the long run.