Think of your child. Is she climbing trees or playing video games?

Contrary to popular belief, children aren't naturally and spontaneously active. At least not in the 21st Century.

Today's children grow up differently. Few of them play outdoors and run around – a situation that is taking its toll on millions of children worldwide. The staggering increase in childhood obesity rates is one of the obvious effects. According to recent figures, an estimated 20% of South African children are overweight or obese.

There's no two ways about it: children two years or older should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise on most, preferably all, days of the week, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

But research shows that more than 40% of children in grades 4 and 5 do not regularly engage in vigorous, physical activity. And the norm is that activity levels decline even further as grade levels advance. By the time children reach puberty, many of them are already unhealthy couch potatoes.

This situation isn't the kids' fault – and also not necessarily their parents'. One of the main contributing factors is that most schools no longer feature physical education as part of their curriculum. Other contributors include:

• safety issues, which prevent children from playing or taking part in sport;
• the fact that many children live in high-rise flats where they don't get a chance to play and run around outdoors; and
• the fact that thousands of kids spend their days glued in front of TVs and computers, where they don't get to burn enough energy.

Long list of benefits
When it comes to exercise, the benefits are impressive. The list includes stronger muscles and bones, a lower risk of becoming overweight (and a lower risk of developing obesity-related conditions such as diabetes), better discipline in all aspects of life and a better outlook on life. Kids who exercise also sleep better and are better at handling the physical and emotional challenges that come their way.

Children need to do both aerobic exercise and strength training. Examples of aerobic activities include bicycling, rollerblading, swimming, running and playing soccer, rugby, tennis, or cricket – basically anything that will pump up the child's heart rate.

Strength training helps to improve the child's physical strength by increasing muscle mass. Stronger muscles lower the risk of injury to the muscles and joints, and increases basal metabolism, which is important for maintaining a healthy weight.

In children, "strength training" doesn't mean "weight lifting". Fun activities, such as climbing a tree, playing around on a jungle gym, or doing wall or rock climbing, are good ways in which children can use their own weight to increase their muscle strength.

What to do
Getting your child to exercise is without a doubt one of the most important steps you can take to ensure the child's present and future health. Here are a few guidelines:

• Keep an eye. Be aware of your child's weight and physical activity levels. Check what your child does in the afternoons and intervene if he/she does nothing but sit in front of the computer or TV.
• Get involved. Find out what physical activity is offered at your local school. If there are no sport facilities or if no attempt is made to ensure that your child does something active every day, get proactive and help teachers to organise some type of exercise.
• Make a plan. If your school does not provide any sports facilities, find out how you can raise money so that a simple facility such as a sports field could be made a reality.
• Offer a hand. Help your children to be active. Find a safe place where they can play and encourage them to play with their friends. And, if you can afford it, let your child join a gym or a sports club.
• Lead by example. You can't expect your child to be active if you're not. You need to be playing along and exercising too.

Fun activities
Make a point of doing fun things with your kids. Here are a few ideas:

• Be active with your kids by doing family hikes or going for bike rides.
• Encourage your kids to participate in fun sports, like dancing or gymnastics.
• Make a point of walking with them more often – to visit friends or to have a picnic in a park close to your home.
• Put on some music and dance.
• Don't just take the car to the "wash-and-go" – ask your kids to help you wash it.
• Throw a frisbee, fly a kite, play hide-and-seek or kick a ball around in the garden.

How much activity is recommended?
The amount of exercise your child needs depends on his/her age. This table will give you a better idea of what your child's needs are:

Age	Minimum daily activity	Comments
Infant	No specific requirements	Physical activity should encourage motor development
Toddler	1,5 hours	30 min. planned physical activity and 60 min. unstructured physical activity (free play)
Preschooler	2 hours	60 min. planned physical activity and 60 min. unstructured physical activity (free play)
School age	1 hour or more	Break up into bouts of 15 min. or more

* Source: US National Association for Sport and Physical Education

- (Health24)

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