Summer, 1998
Staying power puts fun back into fitness
Poor endurance can take all the fun out of physical activity for
many children.
Children who are generally inactive can tire quickly when exercising.
"Providing children don't have asthma or other medical conditions,
tiring quickly means they're probably working too hard for their
level of fitness," said Dr. Marta Fiorotto, a scientist at
the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College
of Medicine.
 Fiorotto
believes that overexertion can trigger a negative cycle. "Children
who tire easily may not develop skills, and poor skills increase
frustration and lead to discouragement. Discouraged children usually
quit trying," said Fiorotto, an assistant professor of pediatrics.
Children can be helped to reverse this cycle. The key is improving
endurance.
"Children can be taught to pace themselves," Fiorotto
said. "They should be able to talk while exercising. If they're
too breathless to talk, they should slow down. If they can sing,
they're not working hard enough," she said.
Keeping the right pace permits sufficient oxygen to reach muscle
cells to burn body fat as fuel. "Most children have enough
body fat to fuel prolonged periods of physical activity," she
said. "But if they surpass their level of fitness and their
muscles can't get oxygen fast enough, the body compensates by burning
more of its supply of glycogen, a form of carbohydrate stored in
muscle tissue." Prolonging glycogen is key to delaying tiredness.
"Children who don't tire quickly tend to exercise more, which
leads to improved cardiovascular fitness and even greater endurance,"
Fiorotto said.
There is little doubt that regular physical activity makes children
healthier. "Exercise builds strong muscles, which promotes
good posture and strong bones, and burns calories, which reduces
body fat and improves both self-confidence and body image,"
Fiorotto said. Active children who become active lean adults also
have less risk of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease,
and some cancers.
Fiorotto recommends that children do some type of vigorous activity
such as swimming, biking, in-line skating, or running, three to
five times a week. "Children need to get their heart rate up
for at least 20 minutes to improve cardiovascular fitness,"
she said.
By encouraging children to play outdoors or participate in sports,
parents may turn "I can't" attitudes into "I can."
"It all comes down to endurance. Once children increase their
endurance, they can concentrate on learning basic skills and just
having fun," Fiorotto said.
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