What do you think about keeping the kids active? It’s easier to stick the kids in front of telly so you can get on with the dreaded housework or just to have 5 minutes of peace, isn’t it? But is it good for them? Yeah, maybe, sometimes. But what’s better? Getting them outdoors, getting them some fresh air and making sure they have a good run around!
I really do like to try and get the boys outside as much as I can and, now we’ve had the garden done, the outdoors is something I can slide the door open to at home. But I guess in this day and age it’s about setting good examples for our kids and so I do like to go a little further afield where I can also get up and get moving. While it’s lovely to have a cup of tea at the table looking out at them playing in the garden, it’s nicer for me to get involved with them so I can try and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle too.
I won’t lie. I’ve been trying to calorie count and I’ve been wearing my Fitbit like my life depends on it to try and keep going. I remember when I was first asked about what kind of lifestyle I lead on my calorie counting app and I was sure I’d be in the ‘active’ category. In fact, my other half politely reminded me I was probably leading a more ‘sedentary’ lifestyle, and I reluctantly had to agree that he was right. I can hardly blog if I go out for a run!
In 1990, The Commission on Ending Obesity found that 4.8% of under 5s were overweight or obese. Compare that to 2014’s figure of 6.1% and you can see that it’s a growing problem. There are lots of other studies that show varying figures, all of which are pretty alarming when you go through them. Clearly the last thing I want is for my kids to be part of those figures. So what is being done to curb the growth on these figures? And what can we do to help?
Getting them on their feet or bike
Toby and Teddy love being outdoors and often cry when I tell them it’s time to come inside. If I don’t get them outside they are little horrors! We might take a walk down to ‘Onion Corner’ to let Toby ride his balance bike while Ted’s in the pushchair or working on his ‘I want to run really fast, even though my legs don’t go that quickly yet’ walk.
Toby is obsessed with his balance bike, a step up from his Toddlebike, and he’d ride around on it all day if he could. He even tries bringing it in the house. I love that he loves it so much and it was probably the best gift he got for Christmas from Nanny and Pop last year. It also means someone usually has to run after him as he’s gone a mile ahead and can’t hear you shouting for him to come back.
Getting them in a playground
We don’t have that many good playgrounds around here, certainly not ones that are toddler friendly. But do you think that stops my children? No, didn’t think so. Toby is a little daredevil and Ted is following in his footsteps, although panics when he gets stuck, whereas Toby just use to fling himself off things and hope for the best.
However, I have found 3 playgrounds that the boys absolutely love and we try and mix it up between them. By a mile, our favourite is Sandringham. I love the wooden playground, the fact it encompasses nature by using logs and old bits of trees, and it’s only 10 minutes down the road.
I love living in the country and can’t wait to take the boys on some good long walks when they’re a bit older. It’ll certainly help with my Fitbit steps!
Encouraging sport and PE in schools
Jamie, my other half, and his business parter are absolutely passionate about this. Jamie and Gary are ex secondary school teachers who left to start their own company. Edufit are a company who aim to educate, engage and empower young people to adopt, and maintain, a healthier lifestyle. They aim to do this through regular physical activity and knowledge of good nutrition.
Edufit visit schools and offer a unique programme by where they test and track pupils progress throughout the school year; this data is then provided to the schools. This data offers invaluable insights into their pupils’ fitness and shows how they can improve.
The government give all schools a PE and sport premium which they are able to invest into pupils by using the funding to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE and sport that is offered. This can be anything from hiring outside sports coaches to providing outdoor playground equipment. What’s truly alarming is that schools have to be incentivised to get their pupils active. When I was at school, I remember at least 1/4 of my day there was spent outside either exploring, on the play equipment or doing PE lessons – and that didn’t include break and lunch times!
What’s even more alarming is that over 1,000 children have been referred to hospital as a result of obesity, and 1 in 3 children between the ages of two and ten are classed as overweight.
Education, Sport and Play (ESP) are the UK’s leading provider for school play equipment; things like playground markings (good old hopscotch!), climbing equipment, trim trails parkour playgrounds and they’re working hard to to dramatically improve activity levels in the playground.
ESP actually commissioned an extensive independent research project which showed that “68% of a child’s PE lesson is spent stationary”. This research helped ESP to redefine their unique solutions to ensure this percentage decreased. As a result of the research and ESP taking note, they’ve since done further research which has proven a 19% increase in physical activity as a result of their methods and playground environments.
What about when you have to keep active indoors?
It’s rainy/snowy/thunder and lightning kind of day, but why should that stop you from getting out and about with the kids? Our local gym offer baby and toddler sessions in the morning. Toby’s favourite bits are the professional trampoline and the balance beam, which he walks along really well, only to jump off at the end into a huge foam pit! Winner.
Classes are another great way to keep them active. Toby and Ted have both done Waterbabies and this is probably one of my favourite classes. Not only does it keep them active, it teaches them vital life and survival skills. I think by booking these sorts of classes you can guarantee that you’ll be out of the house at least once a week because you won’t want to have wasted the money!
It’s easy to become a statistic living in an age where everything is about convenience and I don’t want to become a statistic or a percentage in a research project, and I don’t want that for my boys either. A day barely passes when there’s something in the media about obesity, what sort of diets we should be on or what the perfect weight is. However, you can’t deny this is a fast growing issue, and it’s getting worse. There are things we can do to prevent this, and prevention is surely always better than a cure where possible.
Do you worry about the obesity issues that are surrounding us? Do you make sure your kids are getting out and about? Remember it’s not just about obesity or lack of an active lifestyle in kids, it’s us too!
*This is a collaborative post with ESP Play
I try to make sure my kids get outside every day no matter what the weather ( all apart from when it was really stormy and so we did some dancing games).
I couldn’t agree more! With Fin having Type 1 Diabetes (for anyone reading this it is never caused by lifestyle…) we are a lot more aware of his activity levels and the best thing for keeping his levels steady without doubt is exercise.
When he’s out playing all the time with his friends on the street, its a case of keeping him topped up with snacks to avoid lows, but sitting around too much can make him a lot higher and the high blood sugar levels are what cause health problems later in life.
That’s true for everyone not just those who have any type of Diabetes, it just shows how important exercise and being active is.
Stevie x