Healthy entertainment for boys and girls, a matter of vital importance: this is how Colombia is doing

Combating sedentary lifestyle in children and young people, after a long confinement due to the pandemic, is one of the biggest challenges that parents face today. From there, healthy entertainment emerges, an alternative that seeks to revalue physical activity as a healthy and fun action.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), about 80% of children and adolescents in the world do not get enough physical activity and this leads to health problems that increase the risk of death by up to 30%, compared to people who have sufficient levels.

This scenario has raised the need to turn physical activity into a recreational, dynamic and fun exercise, with which greater interest can be generated among children and young people.

And the fact is that there are multiple benefits of physical activity mixed with fun, according to experts. For this reason, as part of the celebration of International Children's Day (30 April), some of them offer their perspectives and recommendations to learn more about healthy entertainment.

According to Héctor Alonso Parra, president of the Colombian Association of Sports Medicine, promoting physical activity in children and young people is essential for the health of the Colombian population, bearing in mind that if exercise is started at an early age, primary prevention of the main causes of disease in Colombia.

In the same way, this practice contributes to strengthening psychomotor skills, balance and coordination in children, as well as strengthening the development of capacities such as spatial perception, concentration and agility.

However, combining the benefits of physical activity with recreational activity will allow the mind to relate exercise to recreational thinking, an action that will increase the generation of endogenous opioids, which provide a state of well-being, the expert explained.

In conjunction with the above, the advantages of physical activity extend to mental health, which improves mood and enables the reduction of symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as help in the management of pathologies of the nervous system.

According to what was stated by Nayibe Alvino, psychologist at Universidad del Bosque, the development of regular physical activity improves attention, inhibitory control and working memory.

Remember that, according to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, a child or young person under 18 years of age must perform at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily, in which they must combine cardiovascular activities of moderate intensity, such as fast walking or cycling, and strong ones such as running or playing sports specifically.

In addition, they should include muscle strengthening and flexibility exercises at least 3 times a week, without neglecting play and fun.

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