Physical Activity: Recommended duration, benefits, and fun ideas for kids and teens to stay active!
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What are some common sedentary activities that children engage in today?
Children's Current Activities:
- Children traditionally spent time playing games and enjoying themselves.
- Nowadays, they spend more time watching TV, and playing video games and mobile games.
- Learning apps are also being used for academic purposes.
Importance of Physical Activity:
- Physical activity is crucial for children and adolescents.
- It promotes bone health, muscle growth and development, and improves motor and cognitive development.
Recommended Duration:
- The World Health Organization recommends at least 60 minutes (1 hour) of physical activity per day for children and adolescents.
- Both moderate and vigorous intensity activities benefit physical and mental health.
What are some benefits of regular physical activity for children?
Benefits of Physical Activity:
- Improves physical fitness (cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness) and bone health.
- Enhances cardiometabolic health (blood pressure, glucose levels, etc.) and helps maintain a healthy body weight.
- Boosts cognitive outcomes (academic performance).
- Improves mental health and reduces depression.
Ways to Be Physically Active:
- Any bodily movement requiring energy expenditure, such as:
- Brisk walking, swimming, running, or cycling.
- Climbing, jumping, tumbling, gymnastics, jumping races, animal races, and playing hopscotch.
- Any form of dance.
- Using stairs instead of elevators/lifts.
What are some activities that children should avoid to reduce sedentary behavior?
Activities to Avoid:
- Being a couch potato: watching TV.
- Playing sitting games like mobile or video games.
- Playing a lot of board games.
- Using passive transport like cars and scooters for short distances.
Encouragement for Physical Activity:
- Encourage children and adolescents to start with small amounts of physical activity.
- Gradually increase the frequency, intensity, and duration over time.
Source:-
1.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
2.https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/336656/9789240015128-eng.pdf?sequence=1
Disclaimer:
This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your treatment. Do not ignore or delay professional medical advice based on anything you have seen or read on Medwiki.
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