Modern life can be pretty comfy – sofas, TVs, computer games – there’s just so much to keep kids sat down. But bodies weren’t designed to sit down all the time – they need to walk, jump, run and move to be healthy, grow properly and use up the right amount of energy.
Of course it’s important to relax, but there’s a difference between chilling out and vegging out. The fact is that kids who are inactive don’t burn off enough energy and store up fat in their body - yuk.
'Up and about' is all about activities for kids, and trying to get them moving whenever they can during the day. Simply being up, about and moving burns calories and helps fend off diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease or cancer.
Just getting kids up off the sofa will help. So if they’ve been sitting for a while, get them up to jump around for a bit. You could try limiting the time they spend in front of the TV or computer too!
And if you can walk to school, or anywhere else you need to go, then do that instead of the car – it’s better for the environment and you and the kids. If it’s too far to walk the whole way, try getting the bus but get off one or two stops earlier and walk the last bit. It’s about making small changes to your life to help your kids be more active and stay healthy.
Why get fit?
Activity is good for kids' health. It raises their heartbeats and helps pump blood around their bodies. It’s like a mini workout for their lungs and muscles! It also decreases their chances of getting life-threatening diseases.
A good dose of fresh air and exercise also helps us all sleep better. So tiring out kids with activity every day will help them nod off at a good hour and make them feel alert for the next day.
For ideas on how you can make positive changes to your family please visit Change4Life by clicking on link below:
http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/change-for-life-families.aspx
Article taken from http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/up-and-about.aspx
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