Dear Parents...

Dear Parents,

Raising kids is such a hard thing to do and raising kids during a pandemic must be exponentially harder. COVID has disrupted the lives of many but when you are responsible for raising little people, the burden must weigh heavy. I want to acknowledge you for all the hard work you put into keeping your little ones safe. And I admire you for having the stamina and flexibility to to navigate a chaotic world right now.

Many of you have expressed concern for your children’s health. And rightly so. Remote schooling has led to less movement and less engagement with their peers. We know how important exercise is for building strong bones and muscles. Also important to know is that exercise improves immune function, cognition, sugar metabolism, prevents obesity, and much more.

Growing kids will develop in ways that supports their activities. If you have a child who runs around and is active most of the day, their muscles will be strong and supple in order to support these tasks. If you have a child who is sedentary, their muscles will not develop. The body simply responds to the way in which you train it.

Osteoarthritis is an ailment that usually affects older people. This happens when the stresses of life over a long period of time start to break down joints beyond repair. Osteoarthritis is now being discovered in kids much younger than we used to think. The saying, “if you don’t use it, you lose it” is happening in real time to our youths.

With that said, don’t stress about getting your child to a gym. Don’t even stress about getting your kids to exercise. And definitely do not put a child on a treadmill! The most important thing for kids is to build healthy habits around movement. Find activities and games that are fun. My all-time favorite activity for kids is tag. It requires sprinting, cutting in different directions, and stop and go; all movements that stimulate muscle and bone growth in a natural and healthy way. Other activities can include Hop Scotch, Monkey in the Middle, Duck Duck Goose, the list goes on.

Good luck and stay tuned for my next blog!

To your health,

Kim