Exercise Bikes – Tackling Childhood Obesity

Getting children to exercise today is much more problematic than in previous generations due to the prevalence of video games. So, exercise bikes that bridge the gap between exercise and gaming may help tackle childhood obesity.

The problem of childhood obesity is one that is causing massive health problems for adults in later life. As such, children are increasingly being encouraged to exercise in order to diminish the potentially hazardous health implications of obesity. New form of exercise bikes are emerging that tackle the issue of keeping children entertained whilst exercising and which hope to tackle the problem of childhood obesity head on.

Exercise Bikes – Exertainment

By mixing entertainment and exercise, the new types of exercise bikes that are being produced are hoping to prevent childhood obesity from reaching epidemic proportions. By incorporating a computer element to exercise bikes, it becomes more of a game to the children which means that they’ll be more inclined to use them, little realising that they are getting fit in the process. The need for exercise bikes and other health orientated equipment is all too apparent for overweight children in the UK as obesity levels soar.

Exercise Bikes – The Extent of the Problem

Research carried out by the British Heart Foundation discovered that half of the children in the UK do not exercise regularly. The fallout from this lack of exercise is that the number of overweight children has doubled in the last 10 years. Exercise bikes aimed specifically at children hope to address this problem. The study found that children spent an average of 4 hours a day watching television or playing computer games, so, it is a logical step to create exercise bikes that allow them to continue doing something they enjoy, whilst getting fit in the process. Speaking to the Daily Mail, childhood obesity expert, Professor Kamlesh Khunti, argued that children who spent too long inactive in front of the TV had a much higher risk of childhood obesity, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes in later life. For more on why exercise in essential: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/Whybeactive.aspx.