Are you home for the school holidays? With tv, games and computers, many kids are not getting their daily dose of activity. Did you know that activity levels in kids are linked to their health later in life? Active kids also perform better, improve their ability to concentrate and sleep better.
To help you get your kids moving, we’ve come up with some easy activities that you can organise for, or do with your kids.
Why is it important for kids to exercise? From birth to 5 years the recommended amount of exercise for kids is 3 hours throughout every day! That sounds like a lot. But, most young children get this through daily activity such as tummy time, object and messy play, playground activities and games. This ensures that kids are healthy, happy, sleep better and are ready for learning.
Older kids (5-18 years) should get 60 minutes of exercise spread throughout each day. This will build confidence and social skills. It will improve co-ordination, mood, concentration and their capacity to learn. It will also help to maintain a healthy weight and improve general health. This exercise includes general play, dance, active travel, sport and structured exercise.
The problem is studies show that moderate-to-vigorous activity drops sharply at age 8. Now add to that the fact the with technology, tv, games, computers and phones – many kids are spending more time inside and in front of screens. So, it’s more important than ever to keep our kids active.
We want to help you keep your kids moving in these school holidays. This will help keep them healthy, happy and busy to decrease the stress if you’re stuck at home. Let’s have some fun!
This week have a try at HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training.
A few tips:
1. Do each exercise for 20 sec
2. Rest for 10 sec in between.
The first time you try, do 1 round. If you get tired after 5 exercises then have a 30sec rest before the next set of 5.
As you get better you can do up to 4 sets of each exercise and then have a slightly longer rest in between.
For example:
Exercise 1: Skipping 20sec, 10sec rest
Do this 4 times.
Then 30sec rest
Then exercise 2: walking lunges 20sec, 10sec rest
Do this 4 times
Then 30 sec rest
Continue in this fashion.
Most importantly have fun!
