Your Preschooler’s Intensity is More Important Than You Thought

We know some parents are a little obsessed with the performance of their kids, so we write this piece with a little worry about how people might digest the info. Our favorite exercise research facility in McMaster University in Canada has a new study about preschool children and exercise intensity. Isn’t running around on a playground enough?

We know — you are shocked that your kid could actually move anymore than they already do, but when you see why it’s important you may want to schedule even another trip to the playground.

The researchers looks at over 400 kids between the ages of three and five, and, according to this article, “measured and analyzed key markers of the youngsters’ heart health over three years: cardiovascular fitness, arterial stiffness and blood pressure. They tracked physical activity each year by having the children wear an accelerometer around their waist for one week, allowing researchers to determine the amount and intensity of their activity each day.”

These kinds of markers are key to determining health for a child later on, which means that an active preschooler makes for a healthier kid and, likely, a healthier adult.

And, the more you are out there playing with your kid, the healthier it will be for you too.

-Shane M.