Sport for overweight children: encourage and motivate, kanyo®

Almost every seventh child in Germany is overweight. This emerges from a study by the Robert Koch Institute, which was recently presented in Berlin. Only slightly less than half of overweight children return to normal weight in adulthood. But what helps? Targeted measures, especially more exercise, can be used to tackle this problem. Read all about sport for overweight children and its positive health effects here.

Promote sports for overweight children

To prevent or counteract obesity and especially obesity in children, sufficient exercise is essential. But how can children be encouraged to do more physical activity? And which sport is suitable for overweight children? Many young people today prefer to spend their free time in front of the computer or the television. Children even have one natural urge to move – and this should be encouraged by the parents. Some tips can help motivate children to do sports.

Motivate older children to do sports: Here’s how!

As smartphones, computers and televisions become increasingly important as your child grows older, movement can also decrease rapidly. But the high-tech devices are not necessarily bad for overweight! Various sports gadgets, for example, offer great opportunities to motivate children to do sports. With pedometers, special apps and other technical aids, children measure their own progress and experience success when they achieve their goals. This positive feeling can also strengthen the will to lose weight.

Exercise for overweight children doesn’t just help you get physically fit. The adolescents can also benefit psychologically. First of all, sport is ideally a lot of fun. He also increases that self-confidence. Also the ability to concentrate increases through physical activity, since blood circulation and oxygen supply to the brain are stimulated. Team sports that are more suitable for older children also have an impact on social skills. For example, the child can do more Ability to work in a team, fairness, critical ability and helpfulness gain. It often finds new friends in this way.

Gymnastics and sports games for children: this is how you motivate the little ones

It is actually not that difficult to motivate smaller children to do sports. You want to move, try out, frolic and play by nature – Kinderturnen offers just the right environment for this. Here the offspring balance on gymnastics benches and balance beams, crawl through tunnels and race for a bet. Just ask for a group of this kind in a sports club near you. Just a few hours of exercise a week can prevent or reduce excess weight.

Sports games for children are also a great way to motivate children to do sports. The fun factor awakens the joy of movement. As a sport they are also suitable for overweight children. We have put together a few examples for you:

jumping games: For this purpose, a playing field is painted with street chalk on the sidewalk or a safe yard entrance. The children alternately throw stones into the fields and jump from box to box.
Fire, water, lightning: In this sports game for children, commands are agreed upon, in which the children have to perform a certain action. For example, with "Blitz" they have to lie flat on the floor or run with "Feuer" to a certain point. Whoever reacts last is eliminated. Fun and plenty of exercise are inevitable in this game.
Jump rope: This popular sports game for children is available in countless variations. The jump rope is held and swung by two children. Either one child jumps alone or several jumps at the same time. It counts, says a saying or changes the speed of the rope swing.

With sports games for children, the youngest can get used to more exercise according to their age. The games are ideally suited as a sport for overweight children – they are primarily aimed at having fun and thus encourage motivation to move. And no matter how many children want to play: there is a suitable game for every group size.

Sports games are also a nice change for the whole family. Because often one or two grams too much on the ribs can also be due to the lifestyle of the parents. So get up yourself too! If you are sporty yourself, you can motivate your children to do sports. By exercising together, you can also use your free time together. Can your child ride a bike already? Then let it drive along while you jog. You may even find common interests with older children or teenagers. Be it climbing, swimming or jogging – together the sport is much more fun. And by the way, you can also prevent your children from becoming overweight with this active leisure program.

Sport for obese children: you have to consider that

A child is not only overweight, but obese (very overweight or obese), there is an urgent need for action. According to the study by the Robert Koch Institute, as many as 65 percent of children and adolescents with obesity remain obese even as adults, and at least 11 percent are overweight. Only about a quarter of those surveyed stated that they had returned to normal weight after adulthood as a child in adulthood. The dilemma: Being overweight in children can increase in the long run health problems to lead. These include:

diabetes (Diabetes mellitus)
high blood pressure (Hypertension)
Deposits on the vessel walls (Arteriosclerosis), which can lead to coronary artery disease (CHD), heart attack or stroke
orthopedic diseases due to overload (for example back pain or joint problems)

Children suffering from obesity are also not uncommon socially disadvantaged and marginalized. That can be difficult mental problems trigger.

To fight obesity, both parents and child need a lot patience and Staying power bring. It is best to seek professional support from a pediatrician. Special sports for obese children can also help. It aims to improve endurance, coordination and strength. Endurance sports are particularly suitable:

In order to ensure successful training and maintain motivation in the long term, the following aspects should be considered when exercising for obese children:

Avoid overload: The training must be adapted to the individual performance of the child, otherwise you risk overloading or injury.
Increase motivation: It is often not easy to motivate obese children to do sports. For fear of failure or teasing, they usually don’t dare to practice team sports. It is therefore important to set achievable goals and praise success.
Find like-minded people: Obese children often do not feel comfortable in the sports team with much fitter members. Special sports groups bring together overweight children with similar performance. Mutual support can also increase motivation.

Integrate more physical activity in your child’s life, so this can help you lose weight. But long-term success can only be achieved in combination with a healthy and balanced diet. To do this, draw up a menu that includes your child’s favorite dishes (in reduced calories and reduced fat). It is best to get advice from a specially trained nutrition coach.

Conclusion: Sport for overweight children must be promoted

Regardless of whether you are overweight or obese: the child does neither good and in the long run serious health and psychological problems can arise. Therefore, react quickly and prevent possible secondary diseases through exercise for overweight children and through proper nutrition education. With enough motivation, perseverance and support, you will definitely see first successes soon.