CoupleFit: Are your kids getting enough exercise?

Hey everyone,

A recent report published by Active Healthy Kids Canada (AHKC) confirms that 95% of kids are not getting the exercise that they need.

AHKC is a Canadian charitable organization established in 1994, with the goal to increase child and youth physical activity. A yearly report is published, and this year's report focuses on "Active Transportation".

Active Transportation implies using modes of transportation such as walking, biking, in-line skating and skateboarding to get to school, activities, parks, malls, etc. In today's world, children are using these modes of transportation less and less, and instead parents are driving them wherever they need to go. In many cases, this is preventing the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day.

Furthermore, kids seem to do less overall physical activity. Nowadays, they get home from school and go straight to the television or computer or play video games. How often to you see kids playing outside in the yard anymore? I remember growing up and spending much of my free time playing outside.

According to this Report Card, active transportation helps improve overall health, but will also help with increasing academic achievements, reduce stress and allow kids to socialize with their peers. Less driving also means less pollution, with the benefits of improved air quality and reduced risk of lung diseases, such as asthma.

So, how can we change things and increase active transportation? Some recommendations from the report include:

Encourage our kids to walk to places such as school and friends' houses
Get parent groups together to rotate supervising walking to and from school for younger children
Park a short distance from your destination when walking the entire way is not feasible

As adults and parents, we need to lead by example. Make sure you get out and do family activities together. Show your kids what it's like to be active!