The report card is in and it is a failing grade - our children received an ‘F’ in physical activity on the 2011 Active Health Kids Canada Report. I know, it’s only physical activity and there are so many more important things, right? WRONG!
Canada’s Guide to Physical Activity in Children recommends that children get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day. That means, for one-hour a day, our children’s play is active enough that they sweat a little and breathe harder; unfortunately, only about 7% of our children are doing this.Around half of our children are not getting enough physical activity to support ideal growth and development and 25% of our children are obese – and this number is increasing!
Physical activity helps our children build strong bones and muscles, keeps their heart and lungs healthy, teaches them how to be social, improves their self-esteem and school performance. A healthy and active lifestyle is important to our children’s health and wellbeing, their quality of life and can help prevent diseases like cancer, Type II diabetes and heart disease in adulthood. How do our children learn to live an active and healthy lifestyle? From you!
Teaching your children to be physically active can an enjoyable family experience and does not have to cost money. Try:
- Walking the dog together
- Organizing a neighborhood game of road hockey, hide and seek or basketball
- Walk your kids to daycare, school or their friends house
- Go on a nature hike together
- Wash the car together
- Run through the sprinkler
- Shovel snow together, rake the leaves
Your actions speak louder than words so don’t forget to be a role model for your children and adopt an active lifestyle for yourself. For further information or suggestions for healthy living, go to www.participaction.com. Ready.Set.Go!
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