Family health checklist: staying active
Fitness basics every family should manage every day.
How active do we need to be to ensure our exercise is effective?
Staying active
• Children should do at least 60 minutes each day of physical exercise that will increase their heartbeat. e.g. a morning cycle ride, a runaround at the park later, and in less obvious activities like having an impromptu boogie to the radio in the kitchen.
• Make up your own ‘team’ sports. Doing something together is a good way to get everyone running around without even noticing they are exercising. An improvised game of rounders is easier to manage than football if there are just a few of you. Or use a cricket bat and a small football to play a hybrid ball game where the team who are bowling have to get the other team out whilst running between a couple of posts, this is easy even for younger ones to manage.
• Adults should spend at least 30 minutes every day doing activities that increase the heart rate. These can include swimming, gardening or even walking to work so long as you put a bit of effort into it. This level of activity will begin to improve your health outlook, but increasing this to 60 minutes each day will help you start to lose weight too.
Savvy Tip
It doesn’t have to be exercise vs screen time. Check out Dr Tanya Byron’s Tips for safe computer use and SuperSavvy Tips for Limiting Computer Time and encourage a good daily dose of physical fun too.
NOTE: It’s important to remember that you should not encourage excessive exercise for intense periods of time. If you are unsure about an existing medical condition, consult your doctor about suitable exercise before you or the relevant member of your family embarks on a new physical activity.
Pass it on – what’s the sport for you?
The NHS website has an ‘Olympic sport aptitude test’ so you can find a new activity that best suits your personality and skills.