Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic Exercise

            Aerobic Exercise (also known as cardio) is physical exercise of relatively low intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-generating process. Aerobic literally means "living in air", and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism. Generally, light-to-moderate intensity activities that are sufficiently supported by aerobic metabolism can be performed for extended periods of time. The intensity should be between 60 and 85% of maximum heart rate.

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Aerobics classes may allow participants to select their level of participation according to their fitness level. Many gyms offer a wide variety of aerobic classes for participants to take. Each class is designed for a certain level of experience and taught by a certified instructor with a specialty area related to their particular class.

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Types Of Physical Exercise

Types Of Physical Exercise

            Any type of physical activity is good if it makes your muscles work more than usual. People of all ages can improve their health and well-being by becoming more physically active. There are many types of physical activity as written below:

1)     Aerobics

2)     Bodybuilding

3)     Running

4)     Squat

5)     Sport

6)     Stretching

7)     Walking

8)     Weight training

9)     Yoga

Basic modes of physical exercises

People do physical exercises as a part of their healthy lifestyle to get stronger and healthier or stay strong and healthy or to improve their body image. There are three basic modes of physical exercises:

1) Flexibility exercises help the human body in general or its part in particular to be able to reach farther and bend better.
2) Aerobic exercises help the body work hard for a long time.
3) Anaerobic exercises, like lifting weights, make the arms and legs stronger.

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Basic Modes Of Physical Exercises

Basic Modes Of Physical Exercises

             People do physical exercises as a part of their healthy lifestyle to get stronger and healthier or stay strong and healthy or to improve their body image. There are three basic modes of physical exercises:

1)  Flexibility exercises help the human body in general or its part in particular to be able to reach farther and bend better.

2) Aerobic exercises help the body work hard for a long time.

3) Anaerobic exercises, like lifting weights, make the arms and legs stronger.

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Exercise can be fun, but it is important for the exerciser to do what he likes and eat enough calories, so when he exercises he is building up muscles, not just breaking them down for fuel. Carbohydrates are muscle-sparing; and if one does not get enough calories overall, there is the risk of burning muscles up with the fat to make up the deficit.

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Physical Exercise

Physical Exercise

            Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of enjoyment.

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Frequent and regular physical exercise boosts the immune system, and helps prevent the "diseases of affluence" such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity. It also improves mental health, helps prevent depression, helps to promote or maintain positive self-esteem, and can even augment an individual's sex appeal or body image, which is also found to be linked with higher levels of self-esteem. Childhood obesity is a growing global concern and physical exercise may help decrease some of the effects of childhood and adult obesity. Health care providers often call exercise the "miracle" or "wonder" drug alluding to the wide variety of proven benefits that it provides.

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The beneficial effect of exercise on the cardiovascular system is well documented. There is a direct relation between physical inactivity and cardiovascular mortality, and physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease. There is a dose-response relation between the amount of exercise performed from approximately 700 to 2000 k cal of energy expenditure per week and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality in middle-aged and elderly populations. The greatest potential for reduced mortality is in the sedentary who become moderately active. Most beneficial effects of physical activity on cardiovascular disease mortality can be attained through moderate-intensity activity persons who modify their behavior after myocardial infarction to include regular exercise have improved rates of survival. Persons who remain sedentary have the highest risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.

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Making Physical Activity A Part Of A Child's Life

Making Physical Activity A Part Of A Child's Life

             Many physical activities fall under more than one type of activity. This makes it possible for your child to do two or even three types of physical activity in one day. Talk with children about physical activity and make sure they understand that everyone needs physical activity. It is an important part of staying healthy, not only for their body, but also for their mind. It's easy to fit each type of activity into your child's schedule – all it takes is being familiar with the Guidelines and finding activities that your child enjoys.

Making Physical Activity A Part Of A Child's Life

Keep Your Child Active:

            As a parent, you can help shape your child's attitudes and behaviors toward physical activity, and knowing these guidelines is a great place to start. Throughout their lives, encourage young people to be physically active for one hour or more each day, with activities ranging from informal, active play to organized sports. Here are some ways you can do this:

1) Set a positive example by leading an active lifestyle yourself.

2) Make physical activity part of your family's daily routine by taking family walks or playing active games together.

3) Give your children equipment that encourages physical activity.

4) Take young people to places where they can be active, such as public parks, community baseball fields or basketball courts.

5) Be positive about the physical activities in which your child participates and encourage them to be interested in new activities.

6) Make physical activity fun.  Fun activities can be anything your child enjoys, either structured or non-structured. Activities can range from team sports or individual sports to recreational activities such as walking, running, skating, bicycling, swimming, playground activities or free-time play.

7) Instead of watching television after dinner, encourage your child to find fun activities to do on their own or with friends and family, such as walking, playing chase or riding bikes.

8) Be safe! Always provide protective equipment such as helmets, wrist pads or knee pads and ensure that activity is age-appropriate.

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Infant And Toddler Health

Preventing Falls For Babies And Toddlers

            Falls are the most common cause of accidents in every age group. As babies and children become more and more mobile, falls and bumps become more likely. Injuries to children often happen unexpectedly because grown-ups don't realize what children can do and how quickly they develop new skills. 

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The most useful thing you can do to try and keep your child safe is to keep an eye on the new skills she’s learning, and the new places she can reach and get to – and then adjust your environment accordingly. Understanding your child’s development will help you plan ahead for safety.

Fall Safety For Kids At Home

At home, fall safety for kids hinges on basic precautions. Follow these simple tips:

1) Beware of heights. Never leave a baby alone on a bed, changing table or piece of furniture. Use the safety strap on highchairs and other infant seats. Don't allow a young child to play alone on a fire escape, high porch or balcony. Safety netting also may help prevent falls.

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2) Keep stairs safe. Make sure stairs have handrails on both sides that go from the top step to the bottom step. Keep stairs clear of clutter and well lit.

3) Install safety gates. Block a toddler's access to stairs with safety gates. If you're putting a safety gate at the top of a staircase, attach it to the wall.

4) Keep windows locked and screens in place. A young child may squeeze through a window opened as little as 5 inches. Although all windows that open should have guards or screens, screens aren't strong enough to keep a child inside. Discourage play near windows and patio doors, which could lead to a fall through glass. Don't store or display anything a child could climb near a window.

5) Prevent access to extension cords and ladders. It's easy to trip on extension cords. Store ladders on their sides in a shed or garage.

6) Avoid baby walkers. A young child may trip over a baby walker, fall out of the walker or fall down the stairs while using a walker.

7) Use night lights. Consider using them in your child's bedroom, the bathroom and hallways to prevent falls at night.

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Encouraging Kids To Be Active

Encouraging Kids To Be Active

            Anyone who's seen kids on a playground knows that most are naturally physically active and love to move around. But what might not be apparent is that climbing to the top of a slide or swinging from the monkey bars can help lead kids to a lifetime of being active.

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As they get older, it can be a challenge for kids to get enough daily activity. Reasons include increasing demands of school, a feeling among some kids that they aren't good at sports, a lack of active role models, and busy working families.

And even if kids have the time and the desire to be active, parents may not feel comfortable letting them freely roam the neighborhood as kids once did. So their opportunities might be limited.

Tips For Encouraging Active Kids

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1) Be active yourself  and your child will follow your lead.

2) Offer positive feedback and support to encourage your child when an activity is proving a little difficult for him.

3) Spend active time with your child. Instead of being a couch potato or focusing too much on jobs that need to be done around the house, make some time to have fun playing Frisbee, walking and cycling with your child.

4) Encourage him to play outside and praise him when he does.

5) Encourage him to take up an organised sport or group lessons in swimming or dancing.

6) Get the family going: organise family activities such as camping, bush walking and outdoor games.

7) Involve your child in daily chores around the house, such as gardening, washing the car and cleaning. Not only do these activities keep everyone physically active, they help the house run smoothly.

Healthy, physically active kids also are more likely to be academically motivated, alert, and successful. And physical competence builds self-esteem at every age.

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Movement And Play For Babies

Movement And Play For Babies

         In her first 18 months, your baby will learn to lift her head, roll over, sit, crawl, stand and walk. Play is one of the best ways to get her moving. Getting your baby moving is good for his development, and so is play. So when you put play and movement together every day, you and your baby are off to a great start.

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Playing on the floor with you is a good way to get even a little baby moving. This kind of play helps your baby:

1) Develop posture, so she can learn to sit without support, and to lift her head when lying on her tummy

2) Practice basic skills that lay the foundations for more complex movements, such as reaching and grabbing

3) Build muscles that promote movements such as crawling, rolling, pulling to stand and walking.

Before about two months, your baby can't really control most of his movements, but he'll enjoy checking out things that catch his eye. After this, he'll start reaching and grabbing. Once he's rolling or crawling from about six months, you'll need to watch more closely, in case he heads for something dangerous.

The best toy for your baby is you. Playing and moving with your baby is a great way to bond. You can also give your little one lots of praise and encouragement as she goes from one amazing physical feat to the next.

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Activities For Younger Children

Activities For Younger Children

             Babies and Children are instinctively active. Daily movement helps to develop their senses and ability to move. When choosing physical activities for babies, toddlers and young children, focus on activities that are fun. All the activities children enjoy increase their ability to move with confidence and competence.

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Activities For Children 0-2 Years

            Babies (0-12 months) need plenty of opportunities for unrestricted movement. Choose or create a safe environment that encourages exploring and the development of skills such as reaching, rolling, sitting up, crawling, pulling up, cruising and walking.

Before Baby Can Walk 

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Even tiny babies like to stretch and play. A large blanket on the floor (or on the grass, if you're outside) can be a safe, clean and welcoming place for babies to practice lifting their heads or develop strong muscles during ‘tummy time’. It's also the perfect place to learn to roll, creep, crawl and sit. If you put a toy just out of reach, you'll encourage your baby make an extra effort that will help physical development.

Before putting baby on the floor, take a look for potential hazards down at baby level. Stay with your baby at all times to keep things safe.

When Baby Starts To Walk 

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Once your child is walking, there'll be no stopping for breath. You can support this new physical mastery by allowing children to be active rather than keeping them confined to strollers.

Provide toys and activities that encourage movement. For example, when you help your child climb a slide at the local playground, you’re building self-confidence and balance. You’re also paving the way for your child to climb stairs.

Playing with your child and giving praise as your child learns to run, hop, dance and throw will provide vital encouragement.

Activities For Children 2-5 Years

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Toddlers and Preschoolers need plenty of time to just run around and play – adventure playgrounds, parks and the beach are all great places for kids this age.

Here are some ways to keep physical activity fun:

1) Use a large, soft ball to start teaching the basics of throwing, catching and kicking a ball.

2) Chase bubbles.

3) Play different kinds of music to encourage creative dancing and a sense of rhythm.

4) Invent some silly walks and runs with your child, such as running like a monkey, hopping like a bunny, and flapping like a bird.

5) Encourage your child to ride bikes, scooters and tricycles, and play with push toys such as trucks, doll strollers and toy lawn mowers.

6) Play games that involve rolling, skipping, hopping and chasing.

7) Put the stroller away and walk to the library, park or shops.

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Why Is Physical Activity Important In Early Childhood

Why Is Physical Activity Important In Early Childhood 

             Physical Activity into young children's lives is essential for creating a foundation of movement and activity that they will carry with them throughout the rest of their lives. Physically active children learn habits in early childhood that greatly increase their chances of remaining physically active through their young adult and teenage years and into adulthood. Early childhood are ideally placed to foster the development of good physical activity habits early in life and to encourage families to engage in regular physical activity.

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Early childhood should offer a wide choice of play-based, physically active learning experiences that link to children's interests, abilities, identity and prior knowledge. Physical activity in childcare needs to be made up of both structured (i.e. intentionally taught) physical activity and unstructured, spontaneous activity. As active role models, educators can encourage children to participate in physical activity. 

Benefits Of Being Active For Young Children

The benefits of being active for young children include:

1) Promoting healthy growth and development

2) Helping to achieve and maintain a healthy weight

3) Building strong bones and muscles

4) Improving cardiovascular fitness

5) Improving balance, coordination and strength

6) Maintaining and developing flexibility

7) Improving posture

8) Assisting with the development of gross motor and fine motor skills

9) Providing the opportunity to develop fundamental movement skills

10) Helping to establish connections between different parts of the brain

11) Improving concentration and thinking skills

12) Improving confidence and self-esteem

13) Relieving stress and promoting relaxation

14) Providing opportunities to develop social skills and make friends

15) Improving sleep.

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Child Care

Child Care           

             Child Care is the caring for and supervision of a child or children, usually from newborn to age thirteen. Child care is the action or skill of looking after children by a day-care center, babysitter, or other providers. 

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Children's healthy development depends on safe and positive experiences when they are very young. If you work or go to school, you want to know that your child is in good hands while you are away. You may choose in-home care, where the caregiver comes to your home. Or your child might go to the caregiver's home. It is important to get to know your child's caregivers. They will be a big part of your child's life. The caregiver's training should involve

1) Knowledge of how young children learn and grow

2) Positive, consistent discipline

3) Knowledge of the signs that a child is sick

4) Cleanliness and safety practices to help keep kids from getting sick or hurt

5) Basic first aid

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