Does it really only take 20 minutes a day to lower my kid's risk of diabetes?

Posted on 20 September 2012

Along with art and music instruction, many schools across the country are cutting physical education classes. Whether due to lack of funding or the belief that P.E. isn't important, it's hard to deny that gym is making its way into out of the daily schedules of students of all ages.

But, a study printed in the September obesity-themed issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association demonstrated quite a few reasons why children should exercise. However, if you think that scientists are advocating spending hours in a gym, think again. All it takes is 20 minutes a day to keep the heart healthy, improve brain function and reduce the risk of a potentially deadly disease, diabetes.

"This study helps to isolate the benefit of exercise in cutting down on diabetes risk and obesity in kids," revealed study co-author, Dr. B. Adam Dennis, an endocrinologist at Georgia Health Sciences University in Augusta, in a statement.

Dr. David Katz, editor of the journal Childhood Obesity, added that "even a little bit of physical activity might be the difference between a child developing diabetes or not."

The goal when it comes to getting kids the exercise they need is to make it fun and to start emphasizing the importance of physical activity at an early age. The objective is not to push your daughter to fit into those skinny jeans, but rather just get her body moving. Whether your lovebugs like swimming, playing baseball or running around on a soccer field, you as a parent should do your best to provide your child with a positive environment for working out.

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