More ways to get active
Active children are happy children
The trouble is, in this modern world they've got other things to do and plenty of reasons not to go outside to play or run around. Even at school they're sitting for much of the day.
In fact, children need to do at least 60 minutes of physical activity that gets their heart beating faster than usual. And they need to do it every day to burn off calories and prevent them storing up excess fat in the body which can lead to cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It also keeps their bones healthy and encourages muscle strength and flexibility.
It's important to try and do activities that really get their hearts pumping. This can be things like jumping, skipping, dancing and running. Not only does it make them feel good, but it helps to exercise their bones too and protect against brittle bone disease in later life.
Another fun way of getting 60 active minutes is going swimming - or simply having fun in the water. It uses every muscle group and is great for cardiovascular fitness. The Cascades Leisure Centre swimming pool is open all year round.
Ideas
You’re more likely to have fun and success if you arm yourself with new ideas. Children don’t need to get their 60 active minutes all in one go - they can clock them up bit by bit across the day.
One of the best ways to start changing is by having an idea of what you’d like your family to get out of a new healthier lifestyle and write it down on a post-it note. With a long-term goal in mind, it will help remind you that even little changes everyday will help you achieve it. Here’s how it might look:
We’d like to...
- Spend more time together
- Be more active
- Have fun
- Get involved with local activities
Not sure where to start?
Reduce time spent sitting down
If you spend a lot of time sitting down during the day try to find ways of reducing it with enjoyable active alternatives. Even standing or walking is better for you. It might seem like a small change but getting up and about in your daily routine does make a difference.
Get active when travelling
We all know it can be hard to find time in our already busy lives, so find ways to fit activity into the things you already do, like walking the dog or cycling to work. You're more likely to keep it up and it all counts towards your 30 minutes activity, 5 days a week.
Do it often! Start with something small and keep doing it on a daily basis. It will soon become second nature.
Take up an active hobby
Being active is all about having fun, if we don't enjoy it, we won't keep it up. We all deserve to spend some time on ourselves, doing something we enjoy. Once you get started, it's easy to keep going.
The name of the game is to try to get your heart beating faster, and your lungs working a bit harder for at least 10 minutes at a time. Build up to doing this for a total of 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.