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Did you know that 1 in 10 children in Singapore and 41 MILLION children worldwide are overweight? What’s worse is that 7 in 10 of these children grow up to be obese as adults as well! Did these figures alarm you?! I hope they did! Fret not however, as I am here to provide you with a solution that is... swimming! Here are 6 reasons why swimming can reduce child obesity.
To the parents reading this article, ask yourselves, how often have you started on a new fitness routine only to find yourselves unable to garner perseverance and stick with it? The same applies to your kids! Compared to other forms of exercise such as running or doing bodyweight exercises, children tend to view swimming as a more fun means of keeping up with their fitness. Choosing a fun activity for your kid is important to maintain their interest especially in the long run. On top of that, it would also lead to a higher chance of your children not wanting to drop out half-way.
The basic rule of thumb for anyone wanting to lose weight is for your calorie expenditure to be higher than your calorie intake. In simple terms, you should burn more energy than you consume. The term for this is being in a calorie deficit. This same explanation applies to children. Well, here’s some great news in that regard: swimming burns a high amount of calories! Just an hour of swimming side strokes leads to an impressive 368 calories burnt! (That’s more than the calories in a Filet-O-Fish burger from McDonald’s!)
Did you know that swimming requires using almost every muscle in your body? This is why swimming is said to be one of the most effective means of working out your whole body, which ties in with the fact that swimming is the best for weight loss! While different strokes use more or less of some muscle than others, most muscles are engaged in all strokes. Your arms thread through the water, your core helps your body stabilise and remain aligned while your legs and glutes, without mention, do most of the work pushing you forward. It is no surprise swimming burns so many calories! Building muscular strength also leads to losing fat.
I’m sure as parents, your children’s safety is your utmost concern. Well, you need not worry as swimming poses less chance of injury as compared to land sports such as basketball, badminton and netball. This is because the weight of objects in water is less than on land. Send your children to swimming lessons with no worries of a scratched or bruised knee! To further decrease your child’s chances of injury, do instill the importance of warming up before each session.
If your child suffers from obesity, you ought to already know that it is common for overweight children to have low self confidence. Most times, this is due to school bullying or discrimination. While schools provide overweight children with more opportunities to exercise before or after school, this in itself adds on to the low self-esteem that they grapple with. Therefore, having a safe space such as a swimming session with their parents and a trustable coach around would do wonders. In a space where children feel accepted and willing to learn, they will be more eager to partake in physical activities and eventually lose some extra weight. Since water provides buoyancy which gives the illusion of feeling lighter, your child will struggle less swimming than running on land as well.
While encouraging your kids to engage in activities such as running or jumping could lead them to shed off some extra pounds, it could also lead to the wearing down of joints in the long run. Fortunately, swimming is a low impact activity. This means that even if your child is overweight, he or she will not be experiencing joint pains after swimming. Hooray!
While swimming can definitely help reduce child obesity, it is important for you, the parents and children, to keep in mind that physical activities are only half the battle won. The other half of the battle happens in the kitchen. This means that while it is extremely time efficient to bring your children to fast food chains, it is good to keep it at a minimum! Introducing healthy and portioned meals would make all the difference in whether or not your child manages to lose a few pounds.
If you are wondering where to start or what you should do to gradually introduce the idea of swimming lessons to your children, fret not! Here are 7 simple tips to prepare your kids for swimming lessons and what to do when your child is afraid of swimming. And, no, children do not magically lose their extra pounds growing up. So, please, do not wait to take the first step in enrolling your child to a swimming class here at SwimRay!
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