Walk it out
How exercise improves your child's happiness & learning
We all know the benefits of exercise. However, a survey from Public Health England (PHE) and Disney have found out that children perceive the worry of ‘not being very good’ (at exercise) was one of the most common barriers to physical activity. Those of us who are not used to regular exercise, may be easily be put off by the confident gym goers all dressed up in their appropriate gear, many attached with ‘specific logos’, or the expense of buying all the correct equipment to begin our hobby. For those people, myself included in some of these aspects, the easiest thing to do is not bother at all. However, the Welsh Government have recently set out figures again informing us of the increasing level of obesity in children and in our population in general.
The Welsh Government Survey found that:
- Being active made the majority of 5 to 11 year olds happier, more confident, and more sociable, according to their parents
- Nearly all children said that they like being active
- The main motivation for children to be more active was having friends to join in and having more activities to choose from
- Children’s overall happiness declines with age; 64% of 5 and 6 year olds said they always felt happy, compared to 48% of 11 year olds
- 19% of children said they were less active due to a lack of sports or activities they enjoyed.
However, the number of children meeting the recommended amount of physical activity for healthy development and to maintain a healthy weight, which is 60 minutes a day, drops by 40% as they proceed through primary school. Currently, just 23% of boys and 20% of girls meet the recommended level of activity.
Another staggering statistic is that 1 in 5 children start primary school overweight or obese, rising to more than a third by the time they leave. Children who get enough physical activity are mentally and physically healthier, and have all round development into adulthood – getting into the habit of doing short bursts of activity early can deliver lifelong benefits.
We live in a beautiful part of the world. I think it is so easy to close our eyes to the beauty around us. Look at how many people travel to North Wales to get out into the hills, mountains, to picnic by the lakes or fish in the many rivers, not forgetting the stunning beauty of the North Wales coast.
In our attempt to exercise, let’s not forget the benefits of walking. Technically no gear needed, with the exception of some sturdy shoes or trainers. However, walking strengthens and tones your legs, bottom and abdominal muscles, while giving you time to chill out and admire the beauty around you. Walking is often underrated, but it’s one of the best ways to increase your activity levels, lose weight, boost your metabolism and help build your resilience. As David Williams, fitness expert at AXA puts it ‘there are many benefits of regular walking that you may not have realised. Not only good for flexibility, joint mobility, coordination and for lifting your mood and improving your energy, it has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, stroke and certain cancers.’
It is recommended that children undertake 60 minutes of daily exercise, while adults should undertake a minimum of 30 minutes daily.
So, to get the most health benefits from walking, you should do it every day and you should walk fast enough so you increase your heart rate. If every day is difficult, don’t give up – as long as you accumulate 150 minutes during the week, you are a winner!
Once you have achieved the correct amount of time, the next stage is to push to get more out of your walk. One of the easiest ways of doing this is to speed up. Try walking as fast as you can for short bursts of time, then increase the amount of fast walk as you progress. Then try to increase your stride. Try this for a few steps, then again build it up.
When you come across a lovely view on your walk, stop for a second, then rise up onto your toes, hold for a second, then lower yourself back down. Doing this will improve you balance, and also sculpt your lower ankles. You can also, pull in your tummy and hold for 10 seconds as you walk to tone your tummy.
Keri-anne Payne, Olympic marathon swimmer and ambassador of SportsAid said, “Physical activity has always been an important part of my life, as I started swimming from a very young age. But being active is not just for Olympians, it’s for everyone.”
So come on, chose your activity and begin the exercise regime. Let us know how you get on.
We are a big advocate of sharing success and best practice. Afterall, small stesp lead to big things! Share your exercise acheivements big or small and we will use them to inspire our learners (and tutors)!