The Tribune

Health coach Ethan Quant, of Elite Wellness Solutions, has succeeded in his weight loss journey and now wants to share his methods with the Bahamas in an effort to foster a culture of wellness and conquer the obesity epidemic.

I remember growing up I played little league. My mother always made sure we all did some sort of sports when we were younger. I was by no means an athlete, but I did benefit greatly from playing sports. Besides keeping me physically active, it taught me valuable lessons about the importance of team work and discipline.

As you may know, November is sports month in the Bahamas and under the theme “Champions Among Us, Locally Grown, Globally Known”. The Ministry of Sports recognises the importance of sports, physical activity and fitness in developing our local champions.

Regular physical activity can help children and adolescents improve cardiorespiratory fitness, build strong bones and muscles, control weight, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and reduce the risk of developing health conditions.

It’s recommended that children and adolescents ages six to 17 years do 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. We know for a fact that most school aged children don’t get nearly enough physical activity. One can only look at the high rate of childhood obesity to see this. Research tells us that less than 50 percent of children and adolescents meet the recommended physical activity daily.

Some ways to encourage physical activity in children and adolescents is to allow them to explore different types of sports that incorporate muscle building as well as aerobic exercise. Allowing children to become active in sports at a young age helps with their development both physically and mentally.

Their bodies get the physical activity required and they also learn, discipline, work ethic and leadership and team-building skills that are put to use as they continue their education and begin working.

A good place to start is to encourage sports and physical activity that your children show interest in. You can also find something that is fun and exciting if they aren’t into traditional sports. Try things like dance, skating, or just fun games to get them moving.

We as parents have a responsibility to ensure that our children lead healthy and fit lives. Of course one of the best ways to do this is to lead by example. If we are living healthy and fit lives ourselves our children are more likely to as well. So fellow parents, I encourage you, let’s get our children moving, they are our future local champions!

• You can contact Ethan Quant at ethan@elite-wellnesssolutions.com or on Instagram at @ethanquant.