As physios, we’re passionate about keeping people active. By treating injuries and preparing people to prevent them, we like to think we do our bit to keep our community fit and healthy. But we also realise we’re not the only ones in this game… Parents, coaches, friends and volunteers are all just as important as physios.
It’s long been a trend in Australia that young people drop out of sport as they transition from childhood to adolescence and into adulthood. In truth, injuries are only one of the reasons why kids stop playing sport (there are many other significant barriers to participation such as lack of enjoyment, cost and time commitments). Looking at the picture of Australian health in this way, we recognise that it’s the whole community that has a role in helping kids keep up the habit of exercise.
One of the most easily addressed aspects of sport participation for young people is the enjoyment factor. For lots of kids, sport is a great way to enjoy time with friends, express themselves creatively and challenge themselves a little in the process. Junior sport is about fun, encouragement, inclusiveness and team work. By focusing on these aspects of junior sport, we all encourage kids to make healthy activities into future habits.
Recently, there have been some helpful reminders of this in the media. As we transition into a new season of winter sport for 2017, let’s make sure we’re all doing our bit to prepare our youngsters for active lives by thinking creatively about how to make sport fun, and in doing so, the most important results – a healthier community – will take care of themselves.
If your child is finding it difficult to do the activities they enjoy because of injury or if you need some help brainstorming ideas for making exercise beneficial and fun, call us on (08) 9364 4073 or pop in for an appointment.
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