Sunday 25 January 2015

Affects of Early Nutrition and Physical Activity on the Growing Body

 
Would you water a dull, leafless tree and expect it to turn into a healthy, leafy tree with fruit? Of course not; you have to take care of the water and sunlight from the very beginning, and you have to make sure that the right seed is planted. Similarly, for proper child development, you have to start early. Research shows that children who have ample physical activity and nutrition are at less risk of developing various ailments in adulthood. This post intends to find out the short-term and long-term effects of physical activity and nutrition in early childhood.

Short-term and Long-term Effects of Nutrition and Physical Activity

Some of the most important brain functions develop at an early stage of life. According to the past research studies, children who are exposed to good nutrition and healthy physical movement between the ages of 1-8 develop strong cognitive ability as compared to the other children.
The short-term and long-term effects of nutrition and physical activity are shown in the figure below:

As illustrated in the figure above, the short term benefits of early childhood nourishment and health maintenance contributes towards brain development, overall growth and muscle development and enhanced metabolic system that includes the production of proteins, lipids, and growth hormones.
In addition, the long-term effects of healthy activity and nutrition leads to better cognitive performance that ultimately contributes towards better academic performance and creativity. Moreover, the long-term effects of healthy physical activity and good diet can develop better immunity and work capacity. In the long run, children reduce the chances of developing heart diseases, obesity, high blood pressure and cancer.

How to ensure that your child gets what he needs?

Most parents make the mistake of sending their kids off to preschools and day care centers where children get the least amount of physical activity. Another common practice is to keep younger kids inside the house to avoid environmental allergies and injuries. To make sure that your kids get a healthy diet and ample exercise:
  • Choose a day care or preschool institution that offers outdoor playground equipment or school playground equipment for children.
  • Make sure that you prepare a homemade lunch with the essential vegetables and fruits according to your kid’s age.
  • Inform the day care or preschool staff about how much hours of physical activity your child needs to get.
  • Schedule your child’s every day structured and unstructured play activity.
Are you taking measures to ensure your child’s cognitive and physical development? Share your opinion with us in the comment section below and let us know what you think regarding the subject.