Why Doctors Worry about Kids' Bones, and why I hope this post gets you Hopping Mad…
written by john c ashworth
There are three critical ingredients for bone growth in kids.
Exercise, Calcium, and Vitamin D.
Recent research reveals that kids are not getting enough of any of them.
Calcium, the building block of bone, is a mineral that our own bodies cannot produce, and therefore must be absorbed from the food we eat or the supplements we take. And when it comes to kids, this usually means drinking milk, which is one of the best dietary sources of Calcium there is. To get the minimum 1300mg of Calcium per day that is recommended, however, kids need to drink 4-5 eight ounce glasses of milk every day.
Sounds like a lot, right?
If you have kids to feed, you know the answer to that question is an emphatic, YES! Especially when you compare it to how much milk your kids might actually drink every day. I have one who continually works diligently to leave her milk glass half empty on the kitchen table every time she eats. It turns out, I'm not alone.
Only 15% of kids between the ages of 9 and 14 or 15 (when puberty begins), get at least three glasses of milk per day consistently. And worse, only 9% of girls.
This has led to the fact that currently, only 70% of boys and 30% of girls actually get the calcium they need every day in order or to maximize their bone growth during these crucial years of 9-14 or 15 when puberty begins. Some doctors say that research is also showing a resulting increase in bone fractures in this population of kids.
Making the problem even more vexing, is the fact that kids also don't get enough Vitamin D, which is essential for calcium absorption in the body. so, not only are they drinking less milk than recommended, but the absorption of the Calcium in that milk is also being hindered by a lack of Vitamin D.
Exercise Saves The Day
Thankfully, and as always, a little exercise can go a long way to help maximize the development of your kids' bones and bodies when they are young. Specifically, bouncing is what builds bones. In other words, you need to get kids jumping! Jumping rope, playing hopscotch, doing jumping jacks, or practicing their broad jump. Whatever it takes…old school, baby!
In a study from Canada, just a few minutes of jumping each day between classes led to significant increases in bone mass in kids. The total amount of jumping equated to about 15 minutes per day. And I think the key to the success of this study is that they had the kids perform just a little bit at a time.
Fifteen minutes of jumping can be a lot all at once, so spreading it throughout the day makes it more tolerable and more fun. In addition, all that regular and consistent jumping doesn't just build bones, it likely builds more energized kids who are better able to focus during long days of sitting in the classroom.
Tonight on NBC 15 with Leigh Mills here in Madison, WI, I'm bringing the kids on with me to demonstrate some fun and fast ways to get your kids jumping!
…by the way, you can join them. Jumping is excellent for your bones too 🙂
-John
