Do your children get enough daily exercise?

I received a letter from school yesterday explaining that children will be measured and weighed at school in the next month or so and if we have any objections, to let them know. There was a leaflet enclosed on healthy eating and exercise and I was reminded that my son, as a soon-to-be 5 year old, should be getting 60 minutes of exercise a day. It made me stop and think about whether he indeed gets that amount of exercise in a typical day....

According to NHS guidelines, the sixty minutes should comprise of both moderate-intensity activities and vigorous-intensity activities, so things that make your child break a sweat and also that raise their heart rate. (For children under-5, the guidelines are outlined here). There's a useful page listing examples of activities that fall into the two groups. Having a read through, I confess my son probably does not do enough vigorous-intensity activities, definitely not in the winter when our time outside is restricted by bad weather.

The sixty minutes are completely manageable. The moderate-intensity exercise is taken care of with our walks or scooter rides to and from school and my son's time playing outside in the playground, doing PE etc. The vigorous-intensity exercise takes a bit more thought and planning however. If your child does a sport or dance class, that would take care of it. However, on the days they don't, it means trying to incorporate something out and about or at home.

I realise, as a parent, I am much more focused on the healthy eating side to bringing up children with a healthy lifestyle. We walk everywhere (we don't own a car), we like to spend time playing outside in the garden or at parks / in the woods but I admit I probably don't make enough effort to encourage daily vigorous-intensity activities. Something for me to work on!

Do you think your child gets the recommended amount and types of exercise each day? Do you rely on after-school sports and such like for vigorous-intensity exercise?
---
photo credit

6 fun ways to keep your child active indoors

Happy New Year to you all! Hope your Christmas was enjoyable and that 2012 has started off well.

The new year in London has been pretty cold and wet so far. After a whole day spent indoors today, I was thinking about how my son was getting his fix of physical activity (see here for the UK guidelines for children under 5).

If you have lively little ones at home, you'll probably be finding the winter months more of a challenge for keeping their energy levels sufficiently satisfied, with less time spent outside. Of course you can (and should) wrap up warm and get outside when possible for some fresh air and a brisk walk or run around, but with the cold weather and shorter days, your time outside will nevertheless be limited. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for keeping active indoors:

Dance! Put on some lively music in your living room and have a good dance around with your child. You could also play games like musical bumps, musical chairs or simple 'freezing' on the spot when the music stops to make it more fun.

Balloons. Bounce balloons up in the air and try to keep them from hitting the floor or hit them to and from each other like volleyball.

Paper aeroplanes. Make some simple paper aeroplanes and fly and chase them around the house.

Follow the leader. Take turns leading around the house marching, jumping, skipping with children/parents/siblings/friends following.

Obstacle course. Space permitting, create an indoor obstacle course with cushions to jump over, objects to run around, maybe tables to crawl under....

Running / chasing. Whilst you do need to exercise care running around a home and amongst other family members, running and chasing games can still be enjoyed. Up and down a hallway, stairs, or in and out of every room can make for fun active play. 

Do you have some other ideas to share? How do you keep your children active during the colder, darker months of the year?
---
Photo credit
---

5 ways to work out without a work-out

Exercising with your child isn't for everyone. For those of us who don't have family nearby to help out with childcare, it can be expensive to take time off to go and exercise. Thankfully there are other ways to burn calories that can be easily incorporated into a regular day.

Here are 5 activities that involve exercise without you even realising it and that are easy to do with children around:

Cleaning. Vigorous scrubbing, hoovering and other household cleaning chores are a great way to get some physical exercise whilst making your home nice and clean at the same time. Give your child a clean sponge and let them 'help' you clean.

Gardening. This can be an enjoyable way to burn some calories for those of you who have a garden. Digging, hoeing, weeding....and give your little ones a bucket and spade and an assigned area for them to dig around in while you're working. They'll have fun imitating you.

Walking. A long walk can be a lovely family activity. Keep to a brisk pace and go for hills and steps to make it more of a work-out. Use the nature around you to keep your child interested. They could collect sticks, daisies and leaves to press or to use for a collage for example.

Playing. Head to your local park and run around with your children. Chase them, play football, throw a frisbee or other games that involve running around. An easy way to get your body moving!

Shopping. Brisk walking to the shops or around a shopping mall, combined with carrying back bags of groceries or other items is another way to burn calories. This is easy with young babies but more challenging with older children who get bored easily. Try to do something for them on the shopping trip to make it more fun, go to a toy store or stop off at a play area.

What have I missed? Can you think of other activities that provide a bit of a work-out and that can be easily incorporated into a day at home looking after children?

---

Photo credit

---

The Secret to Successful Fitness Resolutions

This is a guest post by Jacqui Porjes, Personal Trainer, BuggyFit and Yoga Instructor.

[caption id="attachment_858" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Photo by Adria Richards"][/caption]

As 2010 beckons, many of us will be aiming for a healthy start to the year. One way to begin as you mean to go on is to make some fitness resolutions.

On average only about 20% of us keep our New Year's resolutions. Unfortunately, some of the biggest failures are found in fitness resolutions. No need to let the statistics get you down though. By following the tips below you'll be better equipped to fall into the successful 20% category.

Choose an attainable goal. Resolving to look like a model is not realistic for most of us, but promising to include daily physical activity in our lives is very possible.

Avoid choosing a resolution that you've been unsuccessful at achieving year after year. This will only set you up for failure, frustration and disappointment. If you are still tempted to make a promise that you've made before, then try altering it. For example, instead of stating that you are going to lose 30 pounds, try promising to eat healthier and increase your weekly exercise.

Create a game plan. At the beginning of January, write a comprehensive plan. All successful businesses start with a business plan that describes their mission and specifics on how they will achieve it. Write your own personal plan and you'll be more likely to succeed as well.

Break it down and make it less intimidating. Rather than one big end goal, dissect it into smaller pieces. Set several smaller goals to achieve throughout the year that will help you to reach the ultimate goal. Then, even if you aren't able to reach your final goal, you will have many smaller, but still significant, achievements along the way. For example, if your goal is to complete a 10K race, your smaller goals could be running a 5K in less than 30 minutes, adding upper and lower body strength training to increase your muscular endurance, and running 2 miles with a personal best completion time.

Make contingency plans: don't assume sticking to your plan will be smooth sailing. Plan on hitting bumps along the resolution road and be prepared with specific ways to overcome them. What will keep you from skipping your workout or stop you from having a cigarette? This may mean seeking help from family or a professional, writing in a journal, etc.

Give it time: most experts agree that it takes about 21 days to create a habit and six months for it to actually become a part of your daily life.

Reward yourself with each milestone. If you've stuck with your resolution for 2 months, treat yourself to something special. But, be careful of your reward type. If you've lost 5 pounds, don't give yourself a piece of cake as a reward. Instead, treat yourself to something non-food related, like a professional massage.

Ask friends and family members to help you. It's good to have someone to be accountable to. Just be sure to set limits so that this doesn't backfire and become more irritating than helpful. For example, if you resolve to be more positive ask them to gently remind you when you start talking negatively.

Don't go it alone! Get professional assistance. Everyone needs help and sometimes a friend just isn't enough. Sometimes you need the help of a trained professional. Don't feel that seeking help is a way of copping out. Especially when it comes to fitness, research studies have shown that assistance from a fitness professional greatly improves people's success rate.

Limit your number of promises. You'll spread yourself too thin trying to make multiple changes in your life. This will just lead to failure of all of the resolutions.

Test your flexibility: realize that things change frequently. Your goals and needs may be very different in April then they were when you made your resolution in January. Embrace change, even if that means that your resolution is altered.

Keep a journal. A journal helps you recognize your positive steps and makes it harder to go back to the same old habits.

-----

Jacqui Porjes | 07947 568890 | Jacqui@porjes.com |www.buggyfit.co.uk

---

Mummy Zen: You'll find you can apply these same tips to many other types of new year's resolutions, not just those related to fitness.

Do you have any other tips to share? What has worked for you in the past, enabling you to stick to your goals?

---