In America we face a energy crisis where the CDC reports 1 in 3 adults and shockingly 1 in 5 kids are obese. The imbalance between caloric intake and caloric expenditure has literally tipped the scales and created an growing obesity problem. In Colorado we have seen our blue state (low levels of obesity) turn pink due to an increase in obesity especially among children. Aerobic and resistance training has been found to be both both safe and effective in children and teenagers leading to improvements in mental, emotional, and physical health. A recent review of the medical literature documents the impact of childhood and adolescent fitness on their transition to adulthood.
In the journal Sports Medicine Garcia-Hermoso and colleagues analyzed the available research to determine the association between muscular fitness in childhood and future health (2019). Authors included 30 studies on a total of 21,686 participants between 3 and 18 years old. As expected they reported a significant, moderate to large effect between baseline muscular fitness and future body mass index, fat mass, metabolic blood levels, and cardiovascular status as adults. In short, fit children and adolescents became fit adults. Embracing the American College of Sports Medicine’s Exercise is Medicine campaign, especially in children, may help our country regain the energy balance they need to live their best life.