Approximately 17 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the rate of obesity among young people continues to grow, it is critical for parents to keep their children fit and healthy throughout the year, and especially during summer break. Unfortunately, many of our schools have reduced the mandatory number of days that a student should have PE. Class. Just shy of 2o years ago, most school systems across the US required PE class and or recess every day. However, today, those mandatory physical fitness days have been reduced from 5 days a week to 2 days a week. And when Summer Break arrives, many kids won’t get to go to gym class those two days a week and will need other ways to stay in shape. A fun and unique way to keep children fit is to sign them up for a year-round wrestling program.  And we have the perfect fit for you, Glasgow Wrestling Academy and Fitness, Inc. (GWA). GWA can definitely keep your child in peak shape. Here are three exercise benefits of our program:

IMPROVED HEART HEALTH

Although heart disease doesn’t affect a high number of children, it is a leading cause of death among adults. According to the Texas Heart Institute, controlling risk factors of heart disease, including high blood pressure and obesity, during childhood will decrease your kid’s chance of developing cardiovascular disease in adulthood. An effective way to reduce these risk factors is to exercise on a regular basis. Physical activity helps the heart pump blood through the body more efficiently, which keeps blood pressure under control, according to Group Health Cooperative. Wrestling is a great exercise for the heart because it forces it to work hard, improving its strength over time.

WEIGHT LOSS

If your child is overweight, wrestling in our program will help him or her trim down throughout the school year and over the summer break. Because many of our exercises feature several different movements and drills, your child can burn lots of calories. According to Harvard Medical School, one hour of wrestling can burn up to 600 calories. If you feed your child a healthy diet and have him or her participate in our wrestling training sessions a few times a week, he or she can lose weight and become healthier.

INCREASED STRENGTH

Wrestling will also increase your child’s muscle strength and improve musculoskeletal health, which will help him or she avoid injuries while engaging in physical activities. If your child improves his or her strength, he or she will also be less likely to experience aches and pains when he or she gets older.

When you enroll your child in our GWA program, he or she will receive adequate exercise regularly and may even make some new friends along the way. Wrestling may be a challenge at first, but your child will get the hang of the sport and enjoy it.

In addition, being a part of GWA is beneficial for a variety of reasons. Not only does your child learn self-defense tactics, but all of that physical activity is certainly a good workout. Plenty of kids enrolled in our program begin taking our classes for the physical benefits and continue after learning how it positively impacts other aspects of their lives. Here are some of the other ways our  class is good for your physical health:

Working on the core: Wrestling is a sport that works every single muscle group in the body. Many of the movements and positions take a lot of power from the core and upper body. Wrestling is a popular variety that emphasizes these skills, making it a great core workout that can also tone your arms, back, and shoulders. Much of the wrestling exercises and drills can also serve as a full aerobic workout.

Make wrestling your child’s cardio: When it comes to fitness, cardio is an aspect that you can’t leave out. Luckily, a wrestling practice, drilling routine, or a simple wrestling warm-up will really get your heart pumping. Plenty of our wrestling drills and exercise routines focus less on power and more on the movement itself. You’ll likely find that your child’s legs will feel strong after a few practices that consist of jumps, skips and other leg/footwork movements.
 Prepare your child: Just like you wouldn’t begin running on the treadmill without stretching first, you don’t want your child to start wrestling practice without preparing your body. Not only does stretching help your joints and muscles loosen up for the upcoming practice, but making sure you relax those muscles lowers your risk of strains. If your child still ends up straining a muscle during practice, take a few days off to rest and ice the injured muscle.