Parents need to take special care to improve children’s stamina by providing a nutritious balanced diet, encouraging physical activity and carefully monitoring their BMI (body mass index), writes Kabir Mondal 

With children’s daily schedules packed, if not overloaded, with school, after-school tuitions and sundry extra-curricular activities, they need plenty of energy and stamina. Parents need to take special care to improve children’s stamina by providing a nutritious balanced diet, encouraging physical activity and carefully monitoring their BMI (body mass index).

BALANCED Diet

Quality and quantity of the diet are important. Growing children have high nutritional needs and require a diet mix of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Children should properly eat five meal servings every day with at least three of them containing fruits and vegetables. Foods high in protein provide the body a steady flow of energy while complex carbohydrates provide sustained energy release.

Dietary suggestions: Proteins. Beans and lentils, tofu, meat, dairy products, nuts

Low calorie snacks. Carrot sticks, apples, bananas, cucumber slices, seasonal fruits, puffed rice with nuts

Energy-rich foods. Whole grain roti rolls, homemade lassi, fruit in yogurt, ragi/oats porridge, red poha, boiled eggs, roasted chickpeas, nuts, dry fruits and soya balls.

Water intake
Adequate hydration enables the body to function efficiently, which in turn boosts stamina. Children aged four-eight years should drink 1.2 litres of water per day and eight-14-year-olds 1.5 litres. However children’s water intake varies depending on the weather and levels of physical activity. Children playing sports and games need to drink more water as they tend to sweat. Water apart, coconut and glucose water and orange juice help the body remain hydrated, as well as provide energy.

Physical exercise
Parents should encourage children to engage in daily physical activity/exercise. This could include walking, running, steps-climbing, jogging, free play, or bicycle riding. Children also love skipping ropes, roller skating, playing basketball, football, and frisbee. All forms of physical activity build bone strength and stamina.
Also encourage children to include at least one hour of sports or other organised physical activities such as Zumba or martial arts.

Swimming, dancing and running are excellent aerobic activities and should be done at least three days a week. Muscle and bone-strengthening exercises also boost stamina and endurance. This can include jungle gym climbing, exercise bars and playing field games like cricket, hockey, football.
Most important, before your child engages in any physical activity/sport, ensure her stomach is neither too full nor empty. Ideally, she should eat a high-protein meal 45-60 minutes before physical activity.

Body mass index (BMI)
With childhood obesity on the rise in India, it’s important to carefully monitor children’s weight. Prohibit junk food such as fizzy drinks, pizzas, biscuits, potato chips etc, allowing them only occasionally.
A good way to monitor children’s health is by calculating their body mass index (BMI). It can be calculated by dividing your child’s weight (kg) by her height (metres). Then cross-check with an age-wise BMI chart online (www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set2/chart-16.pdf) and take corrective measures accordingly. The higher the BMI, the greater your child’s risk for heart diseases, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and breathing problems.

(Kabir Mondal is a Gymnastics Coach at Art Corner Gymnastics Academy, Bengaluru.)