Sorry parents, it looks like you might have a harder time trying to tire your kids out than you could have imagined!
According to a new study, children's muscles have a much higher recovery rate than those of a professional athlete or a functional adult.
Who Run The World? Kids!
The team that conducted the study did a test on three different groups composed of: 12 boys between the age of eight and twelve who weren't in shape; 12 "unfit" adults; and 13 national competition-level adults. Each group performed cycling tests to see how quickly the members recovered from exercising. Their heart rate, oxygen levels, and acidosis and lactate levels were monitored.
After all the tests were done, it was found that the children outperformed the "out-of-shape" adults.
Experts weren't too shocked by these results since children are more likely to use their aerobic metabolism, which is something that begins to decrease as children enter into adulthood.
"Children also recovered very quickly, even faster than the well-trained adult endurance athletes, as demonstrated by their faster heart rate recovery and ability to better remove lactate, a metabolic byproduct contributing to muscle fatigue," Sébastien Ratel, associate professor in Exercise Physiology at the Université Clermont Auvergne, France, stated.
What Does This Mean For Adults?
The study was actually conducted in order to find ways to incorporate a healthier lifestyle for adults as they face a higher risk of getting certain disease as they get older. Researchers also believe that the rising number of diseases is also linked to physical inactivity.
Ratel continued that the research from the study showed that "aerobic fitness" decreases as children get older, which is also when diseases such as diabetes can occur. He hoped the findings from the study would help encourage children who are not active physically to maintain muscle fitness as they get older.
Paul Hough, a sport and exercise scientist, stated that though these findings are helpful, researchers should keep in mind that many diseases aren't linked to whether a person is physically active but could also be hereditary or nutritional reasoning.
He also stated that a person should focus more on trying to maintain a balance between eating healthy and also staying in shape, rather than their "response" to recovering from fatigue quickly.
