Muscles For Kids

Playing Makes Muscles
It sounds too simple, but it's true. Playing, running, jumping, and riding your bike can make your muscles stronger.
Any physical activity you like to do — from dancing toplaying football — can make you stronger. Why? Because you're using your muscles when you do it.
Eat Strong | |
| What should you eat if you want strong muscles? You mightthink you need a lot of foods that contain protein (such as meat and eggs) or foods that contain iron.But no one magical food helps build muscles. Your muscles — and your entire body — will be strongand healthy if you eat a variety of nutritious foods.
|

Should You Pump Iron?
Some kids want to lift weights so they can look bigger and stronger. But lifting weights won'tproduce big muscles in kids who haven't gone through puberty yet, and lifting heavy weights can be dangerous to kids' muscles and tendons. | |
| With supervision from a coach or trainer, kids can dosome light weightlifting or exercise with resistance bands (large rubber bands). This kind of exercise can improve muscle tone, meaning a kid's muscles will be leaner and stronger, but not reallybigger.
|

Push-ups, sit-ups, and chin-ups also help build strong muscles. But so can plain old running, jumping, and climbing.

Get the message? More playtime meansstronger muscles. Now that's something to get pumped up about!

STRONG MUSCLES

Kids exercise all the time without even thinking of it. Just being active, like when you run around outside or playkickball at school, is a kind of exercise. What else counts as exercise? Playing sports, dancing, doing push-ups, and even reaching down to touch your toes.



When you exercise, you'rehelping build a strong body that will be able to move around and do all the stuff you need it to do. Try to be active every day and your body will thank you later! | |

Exercise Makes Your Heart Happy...