Kids and exercise

The subject of children's health is such a huge area to cover, so I thought I'd focus the content of each blog on one particular area at a time. Today, we are going to look at the influence exercise has on reducing stress levels in children.

When children become stressed, they may not know how to 'blow off steam', or release their emotions. It is quite normal for them to hold them in, and then erupt, perhaps not always at the best time. Instead of having them release everything in one go, they could use a few different techniques, to control the stress, rather than bottling it up. One of these techniques is exercise.

The form of exercise would only require that the child's heart rate rises, and that it should be fun! Other than this, the skies the limit on what form the exercise should take. It all depends on what your child loves! Try to choose something they love, so they don't look at it as just something else they have to fit into their day, or something they are doing to relieve stress! Swimming, team sports, running, aerobics, tennis, skateboarding, surfing, skiing. There are hundreds of possibilities. I personally think the person/team that invented the Wii are geniuses! For all those kids that love to be a couch potato or the 'game boy' generation, this is an incredibly valuable tool for getting off their butt and getting active, whilst still having fun, learning something, getting fit and getting rid of any pent up frustration!

The very first benefit exercise gives, other than obvious fitness and weight control, is it is a great release for stress. It is like a meditation, where the focus is taken from what the child was worrying about, to the immediate present, where all their concentration is on what they are doing. Their focus is taken from what is going on inside their head, to what is going on in their body as they move around. With the increase in heart rate, comes the increase in breathing, so more of the 'good stuff' (oxygen) is taken in, and more of the rubbish (carbon dioxide) is expelled.

Children, as with all people, have an amazing ability to store their emotional baggage within their body. If this is not released, it can build up, and cause problems as they get older. Stored emotional baggage in the body can lead to diminished areas of energy in those areas, which leads to physical weakness, which can eventually lead to injury in the weakened areas. A prime example is that of fear. In Chinese medicine, the area, or organ associated with the storage of repressed fear, is the kidneys. The kidneys are positioned in the lower back region, and if they are weak from stress of fear....... whatever type of fear it is doesn't matter...... then lower back injury is common!

A child's energy moves a lot faster than an adult, so it will take less time for a child than an adult to release the necessary energy to lower their stress levels. 20 minutes of heart pumping exercise is enough to move things around for a child and bring them to a calmer head space.

Any thoughts on this are always welcome, so feel free to comment, and leave what has worked for you, or not in the past.

Thanks again for listening/reading. KK

The importance of trees in the stress reduction of children

I remember my eldest daughter coming home from school one day in the foulest mood possible! She'd had a substitute teacher who was apparently very cranky, and managed to take her bad mood out on all the children! Needless to say, she was very tense and quite emotional!

I took her for a walk through the park at the back of our house, and let her sit in one of the biggest trees there for about 5 - 10 minutes while we talked about her day! Instead of holding all her emotions in like she normally would, she told me what had happened, had a little cry, a big cuddle, and then felt much much better!!!

If we think about it, one of a trees' jobs is to recycle our used air (carbon dioxide) and turn it back into fresh air (oxygen). So, it isn't too hard to see that it helps remove negative energy and turn it into positive energy. The tree is a living being, with other living beings that dwell within in it. It is a very powerful source of energy for the planet. All I had to do was ask that the tree, and all who dwelled within it removed this stress from her body while she sat there, and then thank them very much at the end!
We have all been created from the same original source of energy, so in reality we are no different to the tree! We are all just particles of energy moving together with other particles of energy, to create the solid objects we are!

Children's energy moves much faster than adult's, which is why only such a short time was needed actually sitting in the tree. The same process will be of benefit to anyone suffering stress, but you may need to sit there for a bit longer depending on how long you've been suffering from stress and the level of stress you hold within you. Anything to do with nature will achieve a similar result...... sitting in a botanical garden, doing some gardening yourself, going for a walk in a rainforest. Anything where you are actually touching and are connected to nature should help. Obviously, the better the contact (thus the sitting in the tree), and the bigger the tree or plant (bigger creator), the better result.

So..... the next time you're feeling particularly stressed, hug a tree! Maybe plant a tree??? Help create more energy makers for our planet!! It's not just for the hippys any more! There are actually fantastic health benefits in it for reducing stress!
I'd love to hear your stories about your experiences with trees and the health benefits received from them.
Thanks so much to you. Have a fab day!
KK

Children's health

I have started this blog to provide a forum to discuss the role of parents in creating a stimulating and healthy environment for our children.
Our children are programmed with their thinking processes from birth to around the age of 14 years. After this, we have less influence. We have a short window of opportunity where we, as their parent, can positively influence the way they see the world, and their place in it.
I am in the healing profession and would like to discuss the positive effects natural therapies have in helping our children be less stressed, more positive and in general happier and healthier.
I invite you to suggest topics of discussion, your own personal stories, what has worked for you, and what hasn't worked.
I thankyou and look forward to much talking and learning with you
KK