If your child shows an interest and ability in one sport such as ice-skating or dance, should you allow her to pursue this sport to the exclusion of all others?

Maybe not. While specialization in one sport or activity does promote a high level of physical activity, in the long run it may not promote fitness for life. Recently, researchers from Queen's University in Kingston and York University studied the childhood sports experiences of 18 master triathletes, and concluded that children who specialize in one sport early on are not as likely to be active in adulthood as those children who experienced a variety of sports and physical activities.

This may be because training for a specialty sport is more intense and less like play, whereas more low key sports experience is perceived as being fun—which can provide a love of physical activity which may last into adulthood.