Exercise is very good for both the human body and mind, and countless studies and surveys are done to track when and how often Americans exert themselves in a gym or during sports. The American Heart Association, the CDC, and other health organizations have published some guidelines about how often Americans young and old should get exercise for good health. The unfortunate news is that adults and children often fall short of those standards, but fortunately, it is never too late. Adults can join an amateur sports team or hit the gym, and they can bring their children to an outdoor park for exercise. Kids can also take sports classes and visit indoor playgrounds if need be. A kids indoor play structure can be pretty convenient if it’s raining or if there’s no time to visit a park. The staff at a shopping mall or fast food restaurant might look for commercial indoor jungle gyms to install on their propertExercise is very good for both the human body and mind, and countless studies and surveys are done to track when and how often Americans exert themselves in a gym or during sports. The American Heart Association, the CDC, and other health organizations have published some guidelines about how often Americans young and old should get exercise for good health. The unfortunate news is that adults and children often fall short of those standards, but fortunately, it is never too late. Adults can join an amateur sports team or hit the gym, and they can bring their children to an outdoor park for exercise. Kids can also take sports classes and visit indoor playgrounds if need be. A kids indoor play structure can be pretty convenient if it’s raining or if there’s no time to visit a park. The staff at a shopping mall or fast food restaurant might look for commercial indoor jungle gyms to install on their property, and such indoor playgrounds can be quite attractive and good fun for any kid who visit.
American Children and Exercise
Why might kids go to the park or an indoor playground? Many studies show that American children today are falling short of the exercise guidelines that health institutions publish. For example, just one in three children meet the exercise standards set by the Sport and Fitness Industry Association, which call for three sessions of high-calorie burning exercise, each session being 25 minutes in duration. This can have a negative impact on a child’s health, since good exercise is the main way for a child to burn body fat, develop muscles, and enhance their bodily coordination. In fact, a child’s mental growth may be somewhat impaired by a general lack of exercise. If today’s kids are not exercising enough, then what are they doing instead? Most often, they are using electronic screens for hours each day, such as PCs and handheld game devices. With only a few exceptions, this is a completely sedentary activity.
But there’s always an opportunity to exercise, and parents can bring their children to outdoor parks and let them run around, climb surfaces, use swings, and more. Sometimes, bad weather or distance might ruin a trip to the park, so parents can enroll their kids in indoor sports classes or even martial arts classes, and indoor playgrounds are a fine option, too.
All About Indoor Playgrounds
Many buildings and places of business include commercial indoor playgrounds for kids to use. Where might these indoor playgrounds be found? A good example is fast food restaurants, and some chains are well known for having a large annex with large glass windows, and kids can play in plastic tubes, slides, ball pits, and more (they may want to wash their hands before eating). Not only that, but a shopping mall may include a play area, complete with benches where parents and guardians may monitor the kids. On top of that, a fitness center or gym may also include a children’s play area, a dedicated room with play balls, a small basketball hoop, a jungle gym, and more. The main area of the fitness center is meant for adults, and is generally not kid-friendly. So, when the parents visit to use the main area for a workout, they can escort their children to the play area to keep them occupied.
What does an indoor playground include? This will vary, depending on the size and budget of the building, but these playgrounds might include soft rubber flooring, slides, monkey bars, jungle gyms, mini rock climbing walls, ladders, and more. A mall manager, for example, may decide to install such a place for the convenience of shoppers, and hire crews will will install all the hardware. Indoor play equipment may be colorful and feature stylish surfaces to make the play area more appealing to children. These indoor gyms may or may not include balls such as basketballs or soccer balls, which might roll away and interfere with foot traffic.