Using backpacks for various purposes can help your child develop properly. You should send your kid to school with a heavy backpack.
It’s school time, and parents have LOTS to do! Then, you have to consider WHERE to put all the stuff you’ve assembled for your kid! There are school lists, fees, lunches to make, snacks to pack, and much more to consider.
YOU NEED A BACKPACK! You’ve got to get a backpack to ensure your child can carry all their important stuff to school. It’s true; an overly heavy backpack could create some concern. Parents may also worry about how heavy these backpacks can be. However, could some positives be associated with heavy backpacks? What could be gained if you send your kid to school by carrying a heavy backpack around?
YES, it might seem scary to have kids carry heavy backpacks. However, others have looked into this as well. Smaller people can carry heavier loads, but there is a limit to the weight that a person should carry [1]. SO… something to consider is the POSSIBILITY that you may not be giving your kid an adequate load or weight in their backpack.
But what is “a sufficient load” that a person may adequately carry so that there isn’t an undue burden on the person?
YES, WE DON’T WANT TO STRESS THE KIDS UNNECESSARILY! A backpack a little heavier than usual may not be such a terrible idea. But people can carry 15% to 35% of their body weight, and some may attempt more. However, a person’s real weight must not exceed what they should be carrying or what may cause unnecessary stress.
Benefits of Having a Heavy Backpack
We should give more thought to the benefits that can be obtained when you send your kid to school with a heavy backpack. For example, let’s talk about increasing the amount of exercise when walking with a heavy backpack. In addition, kids may experience increased bone density due to the added stress of a heavy backpack, getting rid of excess or unneeded calories, and building endurance. However, purchasing the right backpack built for “weightier” items is important.
Walking with a heavy backpack!
Walking can be great! It’s a form of exercise, a way to get out and about, an alternative to other means of transportation, and good for your overall health. Unless you’ve got medical conditions that prevent you from walking, it is worth a try!
Now, what about kids?
If walking is great for adults, THINK about how much good walking could do for kids TOO. Then, also consider the impact of WEIGHTS. These weights could help provide resistance to the muscles. Walking certain distances daily with a heavy backpack could lead to stronger muscles and a LOT more exercise. Hence, a little weight in those backpacks may not be so bad. Kids can get quite a bit of exercise by simply carrying a HEAVIER backpack to school.
Bone Density Benefits
Bone density is another potential benefit of heavy backpacks. THINK ABOUT… RESISTANCE. Sometimes, it’s good to have resistance… but in what way, you might ask?
Well, resistance can help toughen or strengthen bones by increasing the density of the bones.
How does such density help?
If your bones do not have adequate density, this, in essence, means that your bones are weak and could become susceptible to injury. With low bone density or weak bones, a person can easily fracture or break a bone by falling or impacting the bone. Indeed, you CAN increase your bone density by doing weight-bearing activities and exercises like walking.
The lower a person’s bone density is, the increased likelihood that injury, breaks, and fractures of the bones can occur. Strengthen your bones and the bones of your kids. Don’t shy away from putting some weight in those backpacks!
Burn those calories
You can burn calories through physical exercise and activity. Walking and other physical activities can vary the number of calories burnt daily.
For carrying something heavy… backpacks are included. You could be doing some EXTRA WORK, which means that you are BURNING EXTRA CALORIES TOO! Great news, right?
With the right amount of weight in the backpack, the body gains muscle mass and an increasingly good chance of tolerance to the weight too. So, if you want your kid to get a BIT OF A WORKOUT in a way that they may not even realize is happening, re-consider the ‘everyday backpack.’ YES, quite a seemingly easy way to burn off those extra calories.
Build that endurance!
YES, slow and steady can sometimes win the race… the endurance race. Take your time and do it GRADUALLY. Do not try to load up a backpack or bag to its upper limit all at once.
BUILD UP THE ENDURANCE and let your body gradually catch up as it feels the extra exertion at first. Sometimes, the body does not notice the increased weight or the mind. It focuses on other things, and the newly added weight makes little or no difference. Then, over time, your kid becomes able to endure the weight.
The GREAT news is that you’ll HAVE the emergency when you need it! You also get stronger by boosting your endurance, and your kid can experience the same benefits.
Gain knowledge
Surprisingly enough, your kid can gain knowledge from this activity. Perhaps not at first.
However, as time passes, we can learn lessons by accommodating increasingly heavier and heavier loads.
Some backpacks are built for this!
Do you know that backpack designer… at least most of the reputable designers and manufacturers… does consider the number of stuff students put in their backpacks these days. INDEED! These backpacks have superior designs, materials, and components that help the child carry a reasonable amount of weight effectively and efficiently.
So, GET A MODERN, WELL-DESIGNED BACKPACK! These modern-day backpacks allow kids to distribute weight evenly, adjust straps, add additional straps if the design permits, and add components such as pouches, zipped elements, and more support.
In addition, it is important to note that backpacks should be set up properly so that kids can adequately support the backpack’s weight. If a backpack with reasonable weight is not set up properly, the child carrying the backpack could suffer aches, pains, and possibly more serious injury.
DO SET UP the backpack properly!
The backpack straps and setup need to be adjusted suitably to fit the frame and size of the person carrying the backpack. Also, you’ll want to distribute the items in the backpack as evenly as possible so that the load balances across the shoulders and back. So, DO SET UP the backpack properly!
So, if you load backpacks with a reasonably heavyweight, be sure to purchase REALLY sturdy backpacks that can accommodate such loads effectively. This may not be the time to go the CHEAP route of backpack purchasing. It’s BETTER to get a solid backpack that provides the necessary benefits.
It is important to remember TOO that making a backpack heavy should be done smartly. You don’t want to make a backpack TOO heavy so that your kid cannot carry the backpack without feeling pain or complaining that the bag is too heavy.
Keep the weight within reason, just enough to reap the benefits of sending your kid to school with a heavy backpack!
Rick Kaselj MS
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