Research comes through year after year stating that our kids are not active enough or that they don’t eat well enough. A few months ago we had research from the US Department of Health and Human Services that found that only 29% of high school students participated in the government recommended amount of daily exercise of an hour a day. And it’s not just in the US either, both Canada and Britain have both recently reported that their children aren’t as active as they should be.
Start at Home
If your parents are active and healthy, you are more likely to be too. Participating as a family in activities that get your heart racing for an hour a day is a great way to get everyone involved. This could include anything from badminton to family walks. If you have young children, then make sure that you find an activity that won’t wear them out too quickly. You don’t need to have a back yard to play in, find a local park or activity center. Give pre-schoolers opportunity to be active by lots of playtime inside and outside the house. You can encourage playing with balls, bikes, skateboards and even pogo sticks. This means that they can stay physically active in a useful way too. Click here to find equipment and toys like this.
School Can Help Too
Because children spend most of their waking hours at school, there is a lot that they can do there too. If the school has a good physical education system, and encourages structured and unstructured playing of sports and activity, then most children will embrace it. They are more likely to have good facilities for before- and after- school programs like football, basketball and more. Encourage your kids to walk or cycle to school if possible. Kids who are physically fit are also more likely to do well in their schoolwork too.
Government Guidelines
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans say that children should do at least an hour of moderate to intensive exercise each day. Think about it, do your children get this much exercise each day? They should be out of breath, and even unable to talk to their friends normally. Adults should get at least 2 and a half hours of a similar level of activity, such as jogging or swimming. Healthy people are happy people.
There are so many unhealthy children, it’s important to teach them healthy habits at a very young age!
wow,some really good tips to go by an learn from,,we have a society of game playing couch potato kids that never go outside to play
Too many kids want to sit and play video games. Thankfully my kids like to be outside, usually on their bikes.