How much exercise children should do

Sport is essential for the child's health and development. That is why it is important that we stimulate you from a young age. With simple exercises as a baby to promote crawling and outdoor sports for older children. It is also important that the sport that children do matches their age and their a

It is also important that the sport that children do matches their age and their abilities and tastes. But, how much sport should children do? Just as there is a nutritional pyramid to indicate the foods that must be taken daily, there is also a sports pyramid so that parents know how much exercise their children should do.

The pyramid of exercise and the diet to follow of sports children

Not all exercises provide the same benefits to children. In fact, a different frequency is recommended for each type of exercise. Therefore, there is an exercise pyramid to guide parents, just as there is a nutritional pyramid to highlight the most important foods in children's diet. So, we recommend:

- Every day: running, playing outside, swinging, walking to school, climbing stairs (instead of using the elevator).

- 5-7 days a week: recreational activities (sports or traditional games), aerobic activities (playing football, basketball, etc.)

- 3 days a week: exercise strength and flexibility through of dance, jumps, martial arts, etc.

- Decrease: sedentary behavior, television, consoles.

Regarding the diet to follow: Ideally, the child athlete drinks water, without more. In hot environments, if the physical exercise developed has been intense, you can choose to drink an isotonic drink. It is not recommended to drink soda or packaged juice.

Your diet should be balanced and healthy, but not special. Its main base must be carbohydrates, without neglecting a small but reasonable percentage of proteins and fats. Keep in mind that the child who does competitive sport will have a higher metabolic rate, and will need to incorporate more food.