How to get your kids into physical activity
(This article appeared for Coast Magazine, Winter 2023)
Many of us know we should be moving more and sitting less, and that includes our kids. But how much physical activity do kids need? In this tech age of 24-hour entertainment, social media and thumbs on screens, how can we encourage them to be more active?
Welcome to the 'Movement' movement where fitness isn't framed by how much exercise we do but by how much we move. Kids are dynamic learning and moving machines. The health benefits of movement for kids are not just better sleep and concentration but also a better ability to handle physical and emotional challenges, from running to catch the bus, to studying for a test.
There are things that can be done to reinvigorate our kids, so let's focus on small adjustments that help them get the movement they need and will eventually want for themselves. Kids need a healthy movement 'diet'. Our bodies, especially our kids' bodies, need a healthy movement regime or 'diet' and a diverse range of 'movement snacks' is key.
Parents, you first. Our kids might not be listening but they're always watching (and looking for our inconsistencies). Do you ever wonder what they see? Because that's the start to getting kids, and the whole family, moving more and moving together. This is where the traditional exercise model betrays us. Our exercise sessions at the gym are something our kids never see so, like the tree falling in the forest, it never happens.
Exposure. Don't give up the first time that you and they try something new. Just as you would continue to serve vegetables in small serves to avoid overwhelming your children, apply small 'bites' to movement too. Teach kids the health benefits of physical movement and how it reduces stress and improves pretty much everything else.
Make activity a family event. Build a family obstacle course, introduce them to old-school games like handball and elastics and nothing gets them running like water fights. Go on a bushwalking adventure, have a scavenger hunt with a list in your local area to tick off as you go, play indoor balloon tennis, let them have their own garden no matter how small, and go on a family picnic even if it's right by your house. Dollops of cringing, rebuttal and excitement are all inevitable. So don't pressure them but let them come to it with activities they enjoy when they're ready.
Get them involved. Give kids the opportunity to be active - bring friends, let them choose and lead the adventure.
Remove distractions. One-to-two hours screen time per day is the recommended amount but, as more and more study is now done online, that isn't always a realistic target. Just make sure it's not getting in the way of healthy social behaviours and physical activity.
Think of 'movement snacks' throughout the day. There are big advantages to moving throughout the day. When you keep sitting to less than 30 minutes at a time, it significantly lowers your risk of heart issues (and those stats are for adults, imagine what they mean for your kids' lifetime). It's not just your exercise time that matters, but how much you move through the rest of your day.
Include fruit and vegetables. By that I mean outside and during play, daily. For picky movers - just as it is for picky eaters - remember exposure to activities counts. So keep trying. Fill in the gaps in your kids' and your own, movement diet.
Vanessa Green is a nutritional therapy practitioner and Fitness Australia registered trainer.
@fit.by.nature on Instagram.
